tourism

For the first time in St. Cloud's history the city will host next year's 70th Annual Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener.

Those in the hospitality industry gathered at the River's Edge Convention Center this morning for a photo shoot to honor their service.

Tourism is big business in Minnesota. Explore Minnesota Tourism Executive Director John Edman says the industry brings in nearly $12 billion in gross sales every year, and it creates almost 240,000 full-and-part-time jobs.

As the St. Cloud Regional Airport announces plans to offer regular flights to and from Mesa, Arizona, representatives from the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau stress the value of the connection.

The unusually mild winter has been difficult for northern Minnesota businesses that depend on recreational snow. Regional economist Toby Madden with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis says there are similar stories across the north central U.S.

With this being the Labor Day Holiday weekend, the summer tourism season is coming to an end. Julie Lunning is the Executive Director of the St. Cloud Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. She says overall it was a good summer for tourism in the area.

Experts say Minnesota's $11 billion travel and leisure industry continues to creep out of the recession, but there could be obstacles ahead, including a government shutdown. The president of Hospitality Minnesota, Dan McElroy, says a strong Memorial Day opened the state's businesses travel season.