Photo provided by Visit Keweenaw Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region, Planning Director Rachael Pressley meetings with participants of the Accessibility Summit 2024 at the Rozsa Center. That eventy highlights what participants can expect for the MSTS this May in the McArdle Theatre. 

HOUGHTON — Visit Keweenaw is hosting the inaugural Michigan Sustainable Tourism Summit from May 20-23. The summit will take place in several locations in the Keweenaw, including Michigan Technological University’s McArdle Theatre, the Advanced Technology Development Complex and Small Craft in Hancock. The summit will tackle ecologically sustainable tourism practices in the Upper Peninsula and beyond.

According to a press release sent out by Visit Keweenaw, the event aims to “bring tourism leaders, conservation professionals, policymakers, outdoor recreation advocates and community stakeholders together to explore how the visitor economy can grow in ways that protect the places and communities that make the state worth visiting.”

Speakers for the summit include Matt Schneider from Leave No Trace, Deborah Heather from Visit Isle of Man and Quality International Assessment Services, Julia Petersen from The Nature Conversancy, Will Cronin from Michigan State University Extension, Dr. Dan McCole from MSU, Anna Solberg from Travel Marquette, Co-Owner of Kona Hills Campground, Jeremy Johnson and Jessie Hook from Taos Destination Stewardship Network.

More speakers will be included in the full lineup to be announced in coming weeks.

Visit Keweenaw Executive Director Brad Barnett spoke about how this summit will be about cultivating positive dialogue around what sustainable tourism means in the U.P.

“I think part of it is about opening the discussion,” he said. “Really creating a vision of what tourism can and should look like, not just here in the Keweenaw but in destinations similar to ours.”

Barnett is equally excited about the types of experts the Visit Keweenaw team is bringing to the Keweenaw to discuss sustainable tourism. It is not just locals, but experts from across the United States and abroad.

“We do have a great cross-section of subject matter experts focused on all sorts of topics that are relevant to the Keweenaw and rural tourism destinations across the Midwest,” he said. “We’re just really thrilled to have a really great cross-section of experts come into our community and sharing what’s working in similar destinations to ours.”

There are also opportunities for those participating in the four-day summit to go on field excursions across the Keweenaw.

“It’ll be an opportunity to see some really incredible examples of sustainable tourism in the works,” Barnett said. “These are opportunities to engage with local subject matter experts, leading some really impressive things.”

Tickets for the MSTS are on sale now at visitkeweenaw.com/michigan-sustainable-tourism-summit/, more information can also be found on that web page.