Explore Minnesota says 2023 saw record visitors, expands business and tribal grant programs

Lauren Bennett McGinty, executive director of Explore Minnesota, told a Minnesota legislative committee that the tourism agency recorded a milestone year in 2023 and has expanded its work to include business‑attraction and tribal grant programs.

Bennett McGinty said Explore Minnesota reported 80,200,000 visitors in 2023 and estimated the sector produced $14,100,000,000 in economic impact. She said the hospitality and tourism sector supports more than 180,000 jobs and generates about $2,300,000,000 in state and local tax revenue.

The agency, she said, operated last fiscal year with what she stated as a base budget of $18,407,000,000 and received significant one‑time funds during the most recent biennium that funded new initiatives. With that funding, Explore Minnesota launched Explore Minnesota for Business, expanded its winter marketing, and created two grant programs: a $2,000,000 tourism recovery grant program and a $2,200,000 tribal nations grant program. Bennett McGinty reported that to date the tourism recovery program has expended approximately $1,150,000 to 110 grantees and the tribal program has expended about $1,400,000 to eight tribal nations.

Bennett McGinty described marketing results from the agency's 2024 campaign, saying the effort ran in 18 states and targeted international markets with direct flights to Minnesota, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and South Korea; she said India has become a top international market in the past year. She said campaign metrics showed increases in awareness, favorability and consideration, and that one viral social media moment around a Timberwolves promotion produced an 84 percent rise in website sessions and large week‑over‑week social engagement gains.

The director emphasized the agency's web presence and accessibility work, saying the Explore Minnesota website is one of the state tourism program's primary tools and carries a high accessibility score. She said the agency spent 11.6 percent of its marketing dollars on diverse markets and increased winter advertising to position Minnesota as a winter destination with both outdoor and indoor offerings.

On the business front, Bennett McGinty said Explore Minnesota for Business has run livability and business‑attraction ads in high‑propensity labor markets — including Silicon Valley, Boston and Seattle — and reported very high video completion rates for that content. She said the agency works closely with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to route interested businesses and workers to DEED resources.

Bennett McGinty said Explore Minnesota has also absorbed the film promotion program previously administered through DEED, and the agency will move forward with incentives and outreach to attract more film productions to Minnesota. She closed by noting plans for additional campaigns tied to Minnesota music and continuing tribal consultations and grant support.

Committee members asked several follow‑up questions about worker and business attraction and about winter marketing. Bennett McGinty said the agency has increased investment in winter advertising and highlighted indoor winter activities and performing arts as ways to broaden winter tourism appeal.

The presentation did not include any committee actions or votes; members invited the agency to provide supplementary materials to staff for distribution to the committee.