Minn. Tourism Agency Advertises For Advertisers

ST. PAUL, (AP) - Make Minnesota a must-see. That's the goal of an advertising contract that the state's tourism agency is seeking to fill.

Explore Minnesota put out a call Monday for ad firms to bid on a marketing and promotion contract due to start on Jan. 1 and run through March of 2015. The state currently pays about $7.5 million for those services. There's an option for renewal periods for up to five years.

Officials say every dollar spent on advertising generally reaps many times the return in tourism spending. Tourism is a roughly $12 billion annual industry in the state.

The current ad campaign has the theme, "There's More to Explore in Minnesota." Minneapolis-based Colle+McVoy is the incumbent ad firm.