Dann Lewis: from Tourist to Tourism Director

Dann H. Lewis has seen Maine through a tourist's eyes. He has flown into the Portland Jetport, dined on Maine lobster, visited friends along the coast, and canoed through Western Maine.

Dann Lewis begins a job Monday as the director of the Maine Office of Tourism, the top government position in one of the state's largest industries.

Dann Lewis will oversee an office with an annual budget of $1.8 million. His primary mission will be to market Maine as a tourism destination.

In a telephone interview, Dann Lewis said one of his primary goals will be to get the governemtn and private sector to work together.

Dann Lewis has worked in many other areas during his 36 year career. He has headed the tourism efforts for many big-name destinations: the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, and New York state where he was in on the early development of the "I Love New York" campaign.

Bern Rotman of the New York Department of Economic Development said "Dann Lewis had a pivotal role to play in generating industry support for the "I Love NY" campaign.

Dann Lewis has spent nearly his entire adult life in the travel industry, and says the job of tourism director has a nice fit with his personal and professional interests.

Chosen because of his broad experience, Dann Lewis has much to learn about Maine and its tourism industry. Dann knows he'll have to squeeze as much as he can out of a tourism budget which is small by comparison, and hasn't increased in years.

source: Maine Sunday Telegram, Vol. 107 Num. 52, 1995, by Kim Strosnider