who felt that the Island's offerings of individually tailored, personal choice activities complement

Travel writers take afternoon tea at Grand Hotel while enjoying cheap hotels paris a stay on the Island for the annual conference of the Atlantic-Caribbean Chapter of the Society of American cheap hotels paris Travel Writers. They are (from left) Susan Ward of Evanston, Illinois, Donna Long of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kathy Usitalo of Detroit, Jane Ammeson of Stevensville, and Dixie Franklin of Marquette. For writers whose livelihoods depend on travel, Mackinac Island serves as a perfect destination. It is an island built on an industry of tourism, known for its hospitality and atmosphere of old-fashioned enjoyment. The Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) cheap hotels paris thinks so, too, and after Mackinac Island was offered cheap hotels paris as a convention location, the Atlantic-Caribbean Chapter of SATW, which covers cheap hotels paris all the states between Pennsylvania and Florida, selected it for 2006.
The national travel writers' organization is composed of two groups, active members who are freelance cheap hotels paris writers, columnists, editors, and other media journalists, cheap hotels paris and associate members who serve as representatives for travel cheap hotels paris destinations. Writer and author Dixie Franklin of Marquette hosted the group at Grand Hotel and said she feels that having travel writers on Mackinac is one of the best ways she can think of to get the word out about the Island's potential as a travel cheap hotels paris destination.
"We're here to explore the entire Island," said SATW President Ed Malone, explaining that at each convention, writers go off on their own to search out stories about shopping, accommodations, and things to see and do. While on Mackinac Island, cheap hotels paris the convention's writers explored everything cheap hotels paris from hiking trails to fudge, attended seminars, and spent a day on the mainland visiting sites such as Tahquamenon Falls and Frankenmuth. They also enjoyed cheap hotels paris a special tour and dinner at Fort Mackinac.
"Travel journalists are really the modern Marco Polo," he said, emphasizing that the traveler's insatiable appetite for new sights and sounds is certainly met on the Island, especially since its attractions run the gamut from adventure travel, such as mountain biking, to luxury accommodations and upscale shopping.
cheap hotels paris The rising popularity of ecotourism, which is centered around the enjoyment cheap hotels paris of naturally preserved areas, may also be a benefit to the Island, Mr. Malone added. Since Mackinac Island provides 70 miles of trails, paved and unpaved, and Mackinac Island State Park preserves 80 percent of the Island forest, ecotourism could be a way to promote the Island in the future. cheap hotels paris Mackinac's friendly environment, however, he noted, may be its biggest advantage.
Charles Ridgeway, an active member of SATWwho has been keeping track of the tourism industry cheap hotels paris for many years, feels Mackinac Island is able to achieve an impressively efficient blend of historical ambiance and modern convenience. Even on an Island with horse-drawn carriages, he said he received all the amenities cheap hotels paris he would have expected from a luxury hotel in an urban setting.
In his travels, Mr. Ridgeway looks for service and variety, and he said Mackinac has succeeded cheap hotels paris at both. He was surprised, he said, at the limited Island-to-mainland transportation, but was also impressed with the handling of the Straits crossing.
cheap hotels paris With modern attractions such as theme parks and beach resorts competing in today's tourism market, the travel writers cheap hotels paris said the Island offers freshness cheap hotels paris in a market saturated with commercial draws and family packages.
who felt that the Island's offerings of individually tailored, personal choice activities complemented the slower Mackinac pace perfectly. "It's not a theme park. I think it's a retreat for a lot of people in this day and age when things cheap hotels paris are so crazy."