Anna Tanski to lead pair of Great Lakes marketing initiatives

She will coordinate two GSGP regional marketing initiatives: Cruise the Great Lakes and Great Lakes USA.

Great Lakes USA conducts international marketing and sales in the UK and Ireland, and Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 

Cruise the Great Lakes focuses on attracting more passengers and serves as a forum to bring together the states, provinces, cruise lines, ports, convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, associations and stakeholders.

32 years of experience

Tanski brings more than 32 years of experience in tourism and hospitality management. Most recently she was with Visit Duluth, the marketing organization for Duluth, Minnesota. She served as president and CEO from 2014 to 2021 and led sales and marketing efforts from 2007 to 2014.

Prior to that Tanski spent 14 years working with the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center where she managed marketing initiatives and drove tourism revenues and visitations to record levels. In 2021, she established Anna Tanski Consulting, LLC, which specializes in the evaluation of destination marketing initiatives, strategic planning and organization structure.

Tanski is a member of the Explore Minnesota Tourism Council and the Minnesota Tourism Growth Coalition.

Strong leader

'Anna’s strong leadership skills, strategic and forward-thinking approach to tourism and marketing will be valuable assets to GSGP’s tourism portfolio,' said David Naftzger, executive director of the organization.

David Lorenz, VP of Travel Michigan and chair of Great Lakes USA and Cruise the Great Lakes, added: 'Like so many others in the region, I have worked with Anna for a number of years. Her unique skillset and knowledge of the industry will help our region continue to grow as a global tourism destination.'