Where Are The Tourists?

The Minnesota Department of Tourism's recent ads bragging about Minnesota's tourism must be a joke, RIGHT? Where are all these tourists? They are not coming to rural Minnesota. The lack of tourists is really hurting many small businesses out side the Twin Cities. Many small businesses depend on tourists coming to our state. The number of tourists have been declining for several years. High gas prices in 2007-2008 might be one reason; but this year gas prices are down from recent years and the tourists are still not visiting Minnesota!

About 5 years ago, I was speaking with some visitors from other states. They stated they do not like to come to Minnesota because they thought it was a tourist trap. After some thought, I figured out why. Our Governor and legislators like to view our tourists as cash cows, using hospitality taxes to fund pet-projects like building more stadiums for Millionaire athletes. These hospitality taxes may not hurt businesses in the Twin Cities because many of the tourists may be on expense accounts. After these tourists have had their pockets picked in the Twin Cities, they have less money to spend on trips outside the Twin cities.