Gayle Junnila
651-296-5205
gayle.junnila@state.mn.us

Contact: Jean Freidl
651-493-3029
jeanfreidl@comcast.net

ST. PAUL, MN (May 14, 2008) Tourism has played an important role in Minnesota’s history since it became a state in 1858. That was the message sent by metro tourism organizations today as they enlisted well known celebrities and characters representing organizations and attractions from the past 15 decades to illustrate the vital role tourism has played throughout Minnesota’s history. Since National Tourism Week coincides with the state’s Sesquicentennial Celebration this year, officials from the Metro Region decided to celebrate both occasions with one event at Mall of America.

The program included a diverse slate of characters from each of the past 15 decades including royalty from Winter Carnival and the Renaissance Festival, lumberjacks, jockeys, race car drivers, gangsters, fur traders, Dan Patch owner Marion Savage, historic re-enactors from the Minnesota Historical Society and athletes from the major league franchises from the early years of the Twins (Frank Quilici) and Vikings (Bob Lurtsema).

Officials also marked the occasion by assembling a tourism time capsule containing tourism related icons from today, including souvenirs from the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, U.S. Women’s Open, Stanley Cup Playoffs and Republican National Convention, a model of Northwest Airlines’ new A330 Plane, Nickelodeon Universe character plush toys, Sesquicentennial Books of Hastings and Bloomington, a Caponi Art Park Sculpture and renderings of the new Twins ball park. The tourism time capsule was presented to Explore Minnesota Tourism, with plans to open it for Minnesota’s Bicentennial in 2058.The Minnesota History Center plans to keep duplicates of some of the items to add to their collections for future exhibits.

"We’re very excited to be able to showcase the role tourism has played throughout Minnesota’s 150 years of statehood," said Brent Cory, president of the Metro Regional Tourism Committee and Executive Director for the Eagan Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Although the Metro Region has always had a stellar tourism product, we continue to create exciting new attractions or expand and modify existing attractions to freshen our tourism product and draw new and repeat visitors to our cities - which puts money in everyone’s pocket".

According to Explore Minnesota Tourism, the tourism industry generated a record $10.5 billion dollars in 2006, the last year for which records are available, representing a 3% increase over the previous year. More than two thirds that amount, or just over $7 billion dollars, was spent in the Minneapolis Saint Paul Metro Region.

"The leisure and hospitality industry brings in $10.5 billion dollars and creates more than 244,000 jobs which pay $3.7 billion in wages." said John Edman, director of Explore Minnesota Tourism. "Travelers in Minnesota spend more than $32 million per day - $20 million in the Minneapolis Saint Paul Metro Region alone. Each dollar invested in state tourism marketing yields $53 in sales and $20 in wages - a phenomenal return on an investment by any standards" he said.

According to the Minnesota Department of Revenue, Leisure and Hospitality sales grew 30% in the first half of this decade from $8.1 billion in 2000 to10.5 billion in 2006. The Metro Region generated $7.04 billion in gross sales, which in turn created 153,120 jobs and generated $438 million in state sales taxes. Visitor expenditures were fairly equally divided into four categories: shopping, recreation, food, and lodging & transportation.

While tourism sales continue to rise, one major highlight is the increased number of international visitors attracted to the Metro Region. Mall of America, which drew approximately 3 million international visitors in 2006, reported a 10 percent increase in 2007 or an additional 300,000 visitors. The countries showing the greatest increase in numbers were Canada and Western Europe. With the anticipated continued strength of the Canadian dollar and the Euro, plus the introduction of direct flights from London-Heathrow and Paris to MSP by Northwest Airlines, international business is expected to grow throughout 2008. This greater influx of visitors from other countries is most welcome, as research shows that international visitors spend 2.5 times more money than the average local shopper.

Of the 41 million per person visits in 2006, 45% were to the Metro Region. These visitors have plenty of options from which to choose, and many have been around for decades. Sites that have welcomed visitors for approximately 100 years include the Minnesota Historical Society sites, Como Zoo, Minnesota State Capitol, Landmark Center, Cathedral of Saint Paul, Historic State and Orpheum Theaters and The Saint Paul Hotel.

Although the metro region has an abundance of arts, culture and theater, shopping is a favorite activity among tourists and Mall of America is the area’s most visited attraction, drawing 40 million visitors annually. The nation’s largest retail and entertainment complex is home to more than 520 world-class shops; Nickelodeon Universe, the nation’s largest indoor family amusement park; Underwater Adventures® Aquarium, a 1.2 million gallon walk-though aquarium; a 14-screen movie theater and more. The Mall opened in August of 1992 and is located in Bloomington, just minutes from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. For more information visit mallofamerica.com.

To learn more about Tourism and the Economy in Minnesota and the Metro Region as a tourism destination visit www.exploreminnesota.com. For information on National Tourism Week and related statistics visit www.tia.org/NTW.