Minnesota Tourism Feels The Pinch From Fewer International Visitors

UNDATED (WJON News) -- Minnesota's tourism industry is expected to take a hit from international travelers this year.

Explore Minnesota recently released its report on International Travel Trends.

It says,

"Declining sentiment towards the U.S. is impacting international travel to our state."

Minnesota's international arrivals grew by eight percent in 2024, but are expected to decrease by 13 percent in 2025.

More than half of Minnesota's international visitors come from Canada. In the first four months of 2025, Canadian travelers arriving in Minnesota by air and land were down 3.5 percent year over year.

In 2024, Minnesota had an estimated 614,200 international arrivals who spent about $571 million in our state. This year, arrivals are expected to be about 532,200. Prior to the pandemic, Minnesota typically had over one million international arrivals annually.

After Canada's 335,900 visitors, India was number two with 36,300 visitors in 2024. The United Kingdom, Germany, and China were the other top countries for Minnesota visitors.

In 2024, The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport set a record for international travelers with 37.2 million passengers.

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The Explore Minnesota report says more than 60 percent of Minnesota tourism and hospitality businesses expect decreased Canadian traveler business activity this summer.

For context, in 2023, Canadian visitation accounted for .4 percent of Minnesota's total visitation and .8 percent of Minnesota's visitor spending.

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