Minnesota Plans Comeback From Tourism Losses Caused By COVID

CBS Minnesota

January 25, 2022

Tourism is one of the industries most affected by the pandemic, as less people traveled and explored big cities. The Twin Cities were not immune to this loss.

Back in November, our hotels on average were only 44% full, according to STR, a group that does data and analytics insights for the global hospitality industry. Explore Minnesota, the state’s tourism group says it isn’t exactly sure why Minnesota is seeing the lowest hotel occupancy rates in the country. But they say being a state with extremely cold temperatures and tight COVID-19 restrictions on masking and dining in the Twin Cities certainly play a role.

“Hotels are really working with local conferences or events to try to bring people in and offer unique experiences for them,” Lauren Bennett McGinty, Explore Minnesota’s executive director, said. “I think it’s just an opportunity to try something new, and even more so I think hotels are just saying, ‘We’re clean, we’re safe, we’re ready for you when you’re ready to travel,’ and I think that that’s a really great hospitality tactic to bring people in when they might be unsure about what they’re going to expect.”

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