Nov. 14, 2007

Mackinac Island, Mich. - Due in large part to far-reaching natural and historic preservation, Mackinac Island has recently been named the top tourism destination for islands in North America and fifth in the world by National Geographic Traveler magazine's panel of 522 experts on sustainable tourism destinations.

National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations (CSD) surveyed conditions on 111 selected islands and archipelagos in its fourth annual Destination Scorecard survey.  The results appeared in the November/December 2007 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

According to National Geographic, the panel of well-traveled experts representing a variety of fields, including ecology, site management and historic preservation, along with assistance from George Washington University, considered the qualities that make these island destinations unique.  They used six criteria weighted according to importance: environmental and ecological quality; social and cultural integrity; condition of historic buildings and archaeological sites; aesthetic appeal; quality of tourism management and outlook for the future.

According to the experts, "The pace (of Mackinac Island) is purposely slow.  Pleasures are simple: bike riding, touring the fort, eating fudge, savoring the view from the veranda of the Grand Hotel…It's charm, enhanced by the lack of automobiles (since 1898) and the presence of horse-drawn conveyances, is quite remarkable.  For the everyday tourist it seems a perfect historic environment."

Once a major North American fur hub, Mackinac Island is home to 1880s-era Fort Mackinac, constructed by the British during the American Revolution and an active military compound until 1895.  In addition to the fort, historic Mackinac Island includes five significant structures from the island's trading past and 1,800 acres of state park land, encompassing 80 percent of the island.

Mackinac Island's exemplary rating is due in large part to the continual efforts of preservation by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the seven-member governing body of Mackinac State Historic Parks.   In 1875 the government land on the island - encompassing 50 percent of the island - was designated the second national park in the United States.  It was turned over to the state of Michigan in 1895, becoming Michigan's first state park.  The state legislature created the Mackinac Island State Park Commission in 1895 to be stewards of the parks and their many historic structures.  During its 112 years of history, the commission has protected, preserved and presented the parks' historic and natural resources by securing additional island acreage, restoring historic structures, including the fort, and creating and operating one of the most visited history museum systems in the nation.

Mackinac State Historic Parks, a family of living history museums and parks in northern Michigan's Straits of Mackinac, is an agency within the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Its sites - which are accredited by the American Association of Museums - include Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island State Park and Historic Downtown on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City.  Mackinac State Historic Parks is governed by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, established in 1895 to protect, preserve and present the parks' rich historic and natural resources for the education and recreation of future generations.  Visitor information is available at (231) 436-4100 or on the web at www.MackinacParks.com.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL) .