Marquette county woman wins tourism award

Pat Black, local Executive Director of the Marquette Country Convention & Visitors Bureau was awarded CVB Director of the Year for the state of Michigan at the recent Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Ms. Black has been the director of the Marquette Country CVB for over six years and prior to that spent over twenty years in the tourism industry, employed in various hotel positions.

The award, given to the CVB Director who’s commitment to marketing effectiveness stands above all peers, was given to Black at the Stars of the Industry awards banquet at the close of the conference in Detroit this week. Ms. Black’s name was submitted by the staff and Board of Directors of the Convention and Visitors Bureau and attached to the submission were letters of support from various officials in the county.

Black thanked both her staff, “who are the best she has ever worked with” and the Board of Directors of the CVB stating that as a group of hoteliers, “they have the professionalism and commitment to leave their individual wants and needs at the door when they sit down once a month and make the decisions that are necessary for the whole county to keep the organization of the right track, that being to put heads in beds.” Black also stated that she was very lucky to live on the shore of Lake Superior and have a great job marketing the very ingredients that are being touted in the Pure Michigan campaign currently entering into a $10 million cable advertising campaign nationwide starting March 30.

While tourism officials are forecasting a 7% drop in tourism for the Upper Peninsula next year, Black stated that “we are not going to accept that figure for Marquette County and will do all that is necessary to follow the national promotion by Travel Michigan and market our great events to bring visitors to Marquette.