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Saint Paul Celebrates National Tourism Week
(Saint Paul, MN) National Tourism Week is May 13-21, and the Saint Paul RiverCentre Convention & Visitors Authority (SPRCVA) will be celebrating the city's appeal as a tourism destination with tours and events to showcase the many attractions, entertainment options, dining and lodging establishments the city offers. Tourism is all about attracting new visitors and new dollars to an area, and to accomplish this, the SPRCVA is planning a familiarization tour for travel and meeting planners. The May 23^rd fam tour will showcase Saint Paul's RiverCentre complex, several hotels and will include a tour of the BODY WORLDS exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. "Saint Paul continues to gain in popularity because of all the investment the city has made in our tourism product," said Brad Toll, vice president of marketing for the SPRCVA. "From newly renovated hotels to attractions like the Science Museum of Minnesota to sporting and entertainment venues such as the Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul has a tremendous appeal as a tourism destination regionally, nationally and internationally." The city's hotel product is undergoing several upgrades. The Saint Paul Hotel and Embassy Suites-Saint Paul underwent extensive renovations last year. Under new ownership in 2006, both the former downtown Radisson properties, now the Crowne Plaza Hotel St. Paul Riverfront and the City Center Hotel St. Paul, will be renovated and feature new restaurants. The former Travelodge on I-94 is also completing a major renovation and will open as La Quinta Inn Suites later this spring. Saint Paul expects to draw a large number of tourists in 2006 as it looks forward to several special events including the amazing BODY WORLDS exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota, which is expected to draw a half million visitors from May 5th through Labor Day, the Visa Championships USA Gymnastics Tournament, which will be held at the Xcel Energy Center August 16-19, the Saint Paul Inline Marathon, and several festivals ranging from Taste of Minnesota, Country Market Rockin' Rib Fest and Irish Fair of Minnesota on Harriet Island to the annual Minnesota State Fair. The meetings segment is also looking very exciting. Major conventions for this fall include the Association of American Indian Physicians, American Association of Aerosol Research, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, the U.S. Police K-9 Association and the American Institute of Professional Geologists. All these events will not only draw new visitors to Saint Paul, but will allow them to see the great job the city does hosting large groups and events, ultimately leading to referrals for increased business for the future. About the Tourism Industry Tourism is a $9.2 billion industry in the state of Minnesota generating $25 million in gross receipts per day. Of the 28.6 million travelers who visit the state each year, 83% are domestic leisure travelers, 13% travel on business and the remaining tourists are international travelers or people traveling for other reasons. Saint Paul draws approximately 13.8 million visitors annually, with 4.6 million visiting the city's major attractions such as museums, historic sites and parks. Tourists are also drawn to festivals, theaters and events at the Xcel Energy Center including concerts, conventions, public shows and sporting events. Who are these travelers to Minnesota? Not surprisingly, most of them are our Midwestern neighbors. Firstly, Minnesotans travel within their home state in large numbers. Other states which send the most travelers to Minnesota are Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Texas, Nebraska and California. Ties to Texas and California tend to be strong due to corporate affiliations. The Twin Cities Metro area is the top destination in Minnesota, attracting 40% of visitors. And much as we may consider ourselves a ‘summer destination', visitors come to Minnesota during fall and winter in nearly equal numbers, with 55% of visitors arriving during the spring/summer months and 45% in fall/winter. Top reasons to visit Minnesota are scenic touring, visiting family and friends, shopping, fishing, camping, festivals, and cultural attractions such as theaters and museums. According to the Travel Industry Association of America or TIA, the tourism industry is responsible for a huge contribution to the U.S. Economy. Here are a few statistics: $1.3 trillion: the annual amount the travel industry contributes to the US economy 99.4 billion: tax revenue in dollars to local, state and federal governments generated by travelers' spending in 2004 43.3 million: number of visitors to New York City. The city also claims to be the number 1 destination for foreign travelers, with a 27% share of the foreign market. Nearly 329,000 of New York City's jobs are in the travel and tourism industry, accounting for 6.8% of the employment base. 1.16 billion - per person trips Americans took in 2004. A per person trip is defined as traveling more than 50 miles from home and staying away one or more night. Americans continue to book shorter trips closer to home within a shorter lead time, with the average trip now just three days long. The average number of American vacation days is 12, compared to 39 for the French, 27 for Germans, 25 for Dutch, 23 for British and 20 for Canadians. The internet continues to be a major resource for travel planning. In 2005, 79 million Americans shopped for travel on-line, about 37% of the adult population.