Meet Minneapolis announced on Feb. 26 at the Meet Minneapolis Annual Meeting the launch of an ambitious, long-range tourism vision, titled “Destination Minneapolis: Charting the Future of Minneapolis Tourism.” This is a road map to ensure that Minneapolis continues to be a dynamic, competitive, and welcoming place for meetings, conventions, and events, as well as for business and leisure travelers.
“Minneapolis is a world-class city, and more people are choosing to live, work, and visit here every day,” says Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in a prepared statement. “As we compete for business, customers, entertainment, and investment, we’re harnessing the power of tourism to drive growth. The initiatives in this plan do more than attract visitors—they fuel economic expansion, bring major events to our city, open new doors for local businesses, and enhance the quality of life for all our residents.”
To develop this long-range tourism vision, Meet Minneapolis engaged more than 900 stakeholders and community members through a multilayered approach, including surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. Mayor Frey served as chair of the steering committee, comprised of the Meet Minneapolis board of directors and supported by MMGY NextFactor, a West Vancouver, British Columbia-based destination consulting firm that has worked with more than 200 communities throughout North America and around the world.
The heart of the long-range tourism vision includes five high-level strategic goals:
- Create a nationally competitive convention center district
- Develop new, and enhance existing, festivals and events year-round
- Establish Minneapolis as a national leader in equity and reconciliation
- Increase downtown vibrancy and expand mixed-use riverfront development
- Expand and diversify lifestyle experiences
To advance these goals, six big ideas have been identified to help transform the city’s visitor economy and enhance the quality of life for residents:
- Establish Minneapolis as the No. 1 city for women’s sports
- Enhance Minneapolis’ nightlife scene to be a vibrant, thriving night economy
- Modernize the Minneapolis Convention Center to enhance the competitive advantage and create a signature convention center district
- Improve connections to the central riverfront near the post office site and the Upper Lock and Dam
- Embrace Minneapolis as a catalyst of the modern-day civil rights movement
- Develop an iconic event that showcases Minneapolis’ commitment to social justice
Over the next decade, these initiatives may change. With progress and momentum, new initiatives may be identified and added to align with the success of the strategic goals.
“Minneapolis needs to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving tourism landscape,” says Meet Minneapolis President and CEO Melvin Tennant. “Tourism isn’t just about attracting visitors; it’s about building a stronger Minneapolis for everyone. Minneapolis residents recognize that. More than 90% of those surveyed believe visitors are important to our city’s economy, and 64% believe we should be attracting even more visitors to Minneapolis.”
Tennant adds, “This strategy provides a clear vision for how we can leverage the visitor economy to create jobs, drive investment, improve the quality of life for our residents, and celebrate what makes our city so special.”
Moving forward, Meet Minneapolis will champion this long-range tourism vision, convene key stakeholders, advocate for strategic initiatives, and work alongside public and private partners to bring this vision to life.
For complete details on Destination Minneapolis: Charting the Future of Minneapolis Tourism, visit here.
