Contact: Michele Peters
651-757-1862
michele.peters@state.mn.us

Tourism Industry Looks to the Future at State Conference This Week

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (January 27, 2009) The 2009 Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference opens today at the Northland Inn, bringing together representatives from tourism promotions organizations, such as chambers of commerce and visitors bureaus, hotels and resorts, attractions (museums, historic sites, amusement parks, etc.). The 2009 conference will focus on ongoing efforts by Explore Minnesota Tourism, the state’s tourism promotion office, to shape a vision for the future of tourism, as well as addressing the need to adapt to current economic conditions.

For the last year, Explore Minnesota Tourism has been engaging in a 2020 Vision Process to determine the shape of Tourism Tomorrow. The Conference will look at the past year, future plans, and bring a culmination of answers on the future of tourism from throughout the state.

Other speakers are slated to speak on the topics of the economy, and new demographic and advertising trends. Speakers include:

Peter Yesawich, one of the most respected sources for trends and lifestyle research and strategy in travel and tourism. Mr. Yesawich is a frequent commentator on travel trends in major media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC and the BBC.

An economic panel of Tom Gillaspy, State Demographer; Dan McElroy, Commissioner, Department of Employment and Economic Development and Dr. Tom Stinson, State Economist.

Other speakers will cover "green" travel, digital advertising, effective use of public relations, and more. See industry.exploreminnesota.com for the complete program.

"We hope that our 2020 Vision process will help the Minnesota tourism industry prepare for and adapt to changes brought about by the current economy, the ways in which people prepare to travel, and the types of travel which people will be seeking in the next 10 years," said Explore Minnesota Tourism Director John Edman.

This year the conference will be held in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, a major travel destination, generating over half of the travel expenditures in Minnesota.

About Explore Minnesota Tourism
As the state’s tourism office, Explore Minnesota Tourism pursues an entrepreneurial approach, leveraging the state’s tourism investment with increased involvement by the private sector. A council of representatives from the state’s tourism industry strongly connects Explore Minnesota Tourism with tourism businesses and organizations.

Tourism is an $11 billion industry in Minnesota, a key sector of the state’s economy. The leisure and hospitality industry, a major provider of tourism services, employs more than 247,000 Minnesotans. More information can be found at www.exploreminnesota.com.

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