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

National Travel and Tourism Week is May 9-17, 2009

ST. PAUL (May 15, 2009) Explore Minnesota Tourism makes it easy to get detailed information for planning trips in Minnesota. This state agency offers a vast amount of information on its website, by phone, in print and at its highway travel information centers, well beyond what most states provide. Consumers can get ideas for new places to visit on a day trip, short getaway or extended vacation.

Online at www.exploreminnesota.com, consumers will find detailed descriptions of places to stay and things to do across the state, as well as favorite places recommended by other travelers. Consumers can use the site to develop their own trip planner, view maps, submit a question to a travel counselor, order brochures, and sign up for e-mail newsletters. A streamlined version of the site is available to those using mobile devices at m.exploreminnesota.com.

Explore Minnesota Tourism also offers the personal touch through its phone center, staffed by knowledgeable Minnesotans who can answer travel information questions and develop personalized trips planners that can be sent by mail or e-mail. The phone staff is available weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 888-TOURISM (868-7476). The phone center also provides recorded weekly reports about events, fishing and birding.

Travelers on the state’s major highways can stop at any of Explore Minnesota Tourism’s 10 staffed Travel Information Centers. These centers serve almost 3 million travelers each year, visiting from all states and many other countries. Staff can answer travelers’ questions and offer ideas on places to visit and things to do on their trips; they are available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, including all summer holidays. Seven of these Travel Information Centers are open year-round, and the other three all open by the Memorial Day weekend for the summer season.

Explore Minnesota Tourism also publishes a detailed, colorful Minnesota Travel Guide and the Minnesota Explorer travel newspaper and events calendar, and offers brochures on biking, fishing, golfing, and wildlife watching. These brochures and highway maps can be ordered by phone or from the website, and are available at the Travel Information Centers, as well as at 60 local travel information centers in communities around the state. Travel Information Center locations are posted at www.exploreminnesota.com (under “Contact Us”).

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 248,000Minnesotans. More information can be found at www.exploreminnesota.com.

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