Listen and subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher
Ask Nathan Warden what he loves about Minnesota and he answers as if he’s a paid promoter of the state’s tourism industry.
Warden and his family take advantage of the area’s amenities, from Gopher and Saints games and concerts at Orchestra Hall to walks on Stone Arch Bridge and trips to Mille Lacs Lake.
“This is a fun state and we love being here,” said Worden, the community education director for Le Sueur-Henderson Public Schools.
Warden wanted to know what draws visitors from neighboring states and where they come from, so he asked Curious Minnesota, a Star Tribune reader-participation journalism project: “Is it Valley Fair? Visiting the lake? Watching a professional sports team? What’s the main draw?”
Who’s visiting Minnesota?
Domestic tourists make up just a slight majority of the state’s overall tourism, while out-of-state visitors make up 45% of Minnesota’s tourism, according to the most recent third-quarter data from Explore Minnesota, the state’s tourism agency.
Wisconsin residents made up the largest number of out-of-state visitors during this period, followed by Iowa, North Dakota, Illinois and South Dakota. Explore Minnesota estimates that 77 million people will visit Minnesota in 2022, but this figure includes locals who make long-distance trips within the state.
The visits are crucial as Minnesota’s tourism industry is still recovering from a pandemic-related drop in leisure travel, unrest following the police killing of George Floyd and a decline in business travel that has particularly affected hotels and restaurants that cater to corporate visitors.
Visitors to Minnesota are expected to spend nearly $13 billion on travel, hotels, food, beverages and entertainment in 2022, the first time the state has returned to pre-pandemic spending levels in 2019. While travel spending in the state is up, it is still lagging behind the national average of a 4% increase since 2019.
The spending would bring in revenue for the government through both broad-based sales taxes and tourism-focused taxes like hotel taxes. According to Explore Minnesota, an additional tax of $985 would be needed to tax each household to make up for the tourist tax revenue state and local governments received last year.
Why Tourists Visit the Twin Cities
The majority of tourists from outside Minnesota head to the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
“When it comes to the city’s destinations, the overwhelming majority of visitors come from the surrounding areas,” said Courtney Reese, senior vice president of destination branding and strategy for Meet Minneapolis, the city’s convention and tourism bureau. “This is true across the country.”
Where are they going? According to a Meet Minneapolis survey, the top attractions for people from Minnesota and surrounding states to visit the metro area are:
Ethnic, trendy and fine dining. Mall of America. Live concerts and other events (like Taylor Swift’s performance at U.S. Bank Stadium in June). Friends and family. Minnesota Twins games. Shopping. Minnesota Vikings games.
“Minnesota is in a unique position in that we have every major professional sport,” Explore Minnesota spokesman Christopher Morgan said.
Top Attractions in Greater Minnesota
Outside the metro area, Explore Minnesota has identified a variety of popular attractions by region.
Central: Fishing at Gull Lake and Mille Lacs Lake, resorts with golf courses, Brainerd International Speedway, downtown Alexandria and Nisswa. Northeast: Duluth, casinos, Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Parks, Two Harbors and downtown Grand Marais. Northwest: Downtown Bemidji, East Grand Forks, Moorhead, casinos, Super Ranch, home of WeeFest country music festival. South: Rochester, Museum of Art and Mayo Civic Center, downtown Mankato, Red Wing, New Ulm, Winona.
The state is famous for its tranquil woods and forests, which also attracts neighbors.
According to Explore Minnesota, Cascade River, Gooseberry Falls, Interstate, Minneopa and Temperance River state parks are the most popular with visitors traveling more than 50 miles.
And let’s not forget the lakes. The “Land of 10,000 Lakes” draws many to experience something the state’s residents take for granted.
“Northern Minnesota, especially, has that campy feel, that classic resort vibe that you don’t get anywhere else in the country,” says Frank Soukup, marketing director for Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, Minn. “Whether it’s a big resort like ours or a small, traditional family-run resort, that’s one of the really great things about it here.”
Cami Calhoun bought Geneva Beach Resort in Alexandria and spent 30 summers there before she and her husband moved back to Minnesota from Iowa. The resort’s 17 cabins regularly attract visitors from Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and even Illinois.
“The majority of our out-of-state clients are repeat bookers,” she said, “who book for the same week every summer.”
Calhoun points out that even though the neighboring states are so close, their vast prairies are very different, which gives Minnesota a unique appeal to its residents.
“Iowa is flat and open. You go outside and you see far and wide. When you come to Minnesota, it’s all trees and hills and curves,” she said. “The scenery is so different. Even when you’re driving down the interstate, it feels different in Minnesota.”
To submit a question about Minnesota, please fill out the form below.
JavaScript is required to complete this form.
Read more interesting Minnesota stories:
Why are all of Minnesota’s professional teams named after the state and not the city?
Why do so many of the Twin Cities’ shopping mall names end with “dale”?
How many WPA projects were built in Minnesota as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal?
Why do Minnesotans have an accent?
Is it really true that water just flows out of Minnesota and never into the state?
What is Minnesota’s most exported product?
Gita Sitaramia was a consumer reporter at the Star Tribune.
