Industry News
Industry News provides weekly news and tips for the people who market Minnesota and its destinations.
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May 18, 2026 |
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| Band of Ojibwe Memorial Day Traditional Pow Wow, Leech Lake / Photo Credit: Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe |
Star of the North™ Campaign Update
Explore Minnesota’s Star of the North™ spring/summer campaign launched March 9 and is off to a great start! Early Meta results indicate strong engagement with click through rates consistently outperforming benchmarks across all audiences.
Likewise, Reddit had click-through rates nearly three times the travel industry benchmark. Spring/summer is outperforming winter content by eleven points on online video channels (OLV).
Make sure to check out our latest content partnership with The Atlantic that highlights the strength of both Minnesota's arts and food scenes:
We look forward to sharing more as the SOTN campaign progresses. Learn more and watch Star of the North videos.
Attend National Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events Webinar
Join us for our final session in our spring Continuing Education Series webinar series on May 19 at 11 a.m. CST for Research: National Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events presented by Longwoods International.
This webinar will present brand new data and insights about how residents perceive the impacts of sporting events and how you can use data-driven insights to leverage sports in your community.
FY2027 Explore Minnesota Tourism Grant Program Overview Available
In case you missed it last week, the FY2027 Tourism Marketing Grant Guidelines, informational webinar, frequently asked questions and application is now available for review. Applications for this program will open on June 1 at 9 a.m. CST, and funds are available starting on July 1, 2026.
The tourism grant program’s intent is to provide funding to support the tourism marketing campaigns and initiatives of primary nonprofit DMOs (501c3 or 501c6), municipal DMOs, and Tribal Nations for the economic benefit of their communities.
Reminder to Add Your American Indian Heritage Month Celebrations to ExploreMinnesota.com
May is American Indian Heritage Month, and Explore Minnesota wants to promote your local events.
To have your event considered for inclusion in various Explore Minnesota communications, log into the Explore Minnesota extranet to update or create new listings for your American Indian Heritage Month events. Please note that submitting an image with your event listing increases the likelihood that your event will be featured in an upcoming newsletter or social media post.
For technical assistance, contact our extranet team at tourism@state.mn.us.
Update your listing on the Explore Minnesota extranet.
Memorial Day Travel Expected to Reach New Record High
AAA forecasts a record 45 million Americans traveling this Memorial Day weekend, a 0.4% increase from last year. Most will travel by car, but 3.66 million will fly, benefiting from airfares averaging $800 for a round trip, 6% lower than last year. The top destinations include Seattle, New York City and Orlando, Fla.
Read the full article in Travel Weekly.
New Resource: Minnesota Outdoor Recreation Economy by County
Minnesota’s outdoor recreation economy is strong statewide, but the story looks different in every county. That’s why we’ve created downloadable one-page fact sheets for all 87 Minnesota counties, giving you a quick, shareable snapshot of outdoor recreation’s local economic footprint.
Each fact sheet covers key indicators including jobs supported, GDP contribution and gross output — all drawn from the latest Bureau of Economic Analysis Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account data.
Whether you are making the case to a local elected official, presenting it to a board, or simply curious what outdoor recreation means for your corner of the state, these one-pagers are built for you.
Download your county fact sheet.
Registration Open for the 2026 Outdoor Industry Summit
Registration is open for the 2026 Outdoor Industry Summit which will take place on Thursday, Sept. 24, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hyland Hills Chalet in Bloomington. Early risers can join an optional morning hike of the Highland Hills Trails starting at 9 a.m.
This year’s summit features four panel learning sessions built around the theme of connectivity, exploring how relationships between businesses, communities, trails, and people power Minnesota’s outdoor recreation economy. The day also includes a lunch and networking break and the inaugural Minnesota Outdoor Industry Awards Ceremony.
Registration fee is $25 per person. Space is limited, register now.
Tune into Recent Episodes of Explore Minnesota More Podcast
The latest episodes of Explore Minnesota More cover some of the biggest stories in Minnesota’s outdoor economy. In our most recent episode, we sit down with Star Tribune Outdoors editor Mark Baumgarten to talk about how the paper’s outdoor coverage has evolved in recent years and what to expect from the upcoming Star Tribune Unbound event.
Prior to that, we dove into the history of fat tire biking and Minnesota’s central role in shaping a sport that now has a global following. And if you missed it, our BEA episode breaks down the latest federal outdoor recreation economic data, including what the numbers mean for Minnesota’s $13.9 billion outdoor economy and the 99,000-plus jobs it supports.
Listen to Explore Minnesota More podcasts.
Upcoming Industry Webinars
- Explore Minnesota and Longwoods International, Research: National Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events, May 19, 11 a.m. CST
- Zoom, Marketing Remix: Reboot Your Virtual Events, May 20, 11 a.m. CST
- Allego, You’re Sitting on a Content Goldmine Nobody Can Find, May 21, 1 p.m. CST
- CVENT, The Trust Gap: What New Research Reveals About How Events Build Trust, May 27, 10 a.m. CST
- Miles Partnership, AI Roundtable for Destinations: Trust in the Age of AI Imagery, May 21, 2 p.m. CST
- Crowdriff, Monthly Trend Tracker, May 27, noon CST
- MarketingProfs and ON24, 7 Ways to Avoid a Boring Webinar, May 28, 1 p.m. CST