Local and state leaders look to boost tourism in Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KEYC) - Explore Minnesota and state leaders are looking to boost travel and tourism in the state.

Of the nine regional states and competitors, Minnesota ranks 8th. That’s just above North Dakota.

In Minnesota, right now there are 229,000 jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry. The current annual budget for Explore Minnesota is $14.4 million.

In his proposed budget, Gov. Walz recommends increasing the base budget by over $3 million next year, and $746,000 in 2025 to make Minnesota more competitive and welcoming.

“We have some catching up to do. The budget that is recommended will actually put us in a place where we are more toward the middle of the pack and can better compete with folks like Michigan and Wisconsin who are currently out spending us in the market,” said Lauren Bennett McGinty, director of Explore Minnesota Tourism.

Tourism Economics found that last year, Minnesota hosted 77.2 million visitors, who had $13.4 billion direct economic impact and $23.3 billion indirect impact on the economy and communities.

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