Search Content

The lack of international tourists to Minnesota is due to many factors. Minnesota is mainly a regional destination, with the majority of tourists coming from within the state and adjacent states. The majority of visitors drive to arrive in Minnesota. Barriers preventing more international tourists from visiting Minnesota were investigated, using a variety of methods ranging from focus group analysis to a mail questionnaire targeting the German long haul market. Barriers were grouped into four categories: functional, perceptual, logistical, policy. The primary barrier identified is a private sector policy imposed by airlines. The decision not to allow stopover visits or open jaw tickets without a substantial change in the price of an air ticket works against spontaneous or planned short visits to relatively unknown destinations. Should this policy based access barrier be removed, a public/private partnership would be needed to promote stopovers in Minnesota.

Eleven road segments in Minnesota were examined in a user survey that addressed road travelers' preferences for physical characteristics, aesthetics, and amenities of that segment. The user survey was based on earlier focus group work that provided the framework for this portion of the study. Results revealed that road travelers are able to differentiate between physical and socially derived attributes and amenities associated with a particular roadway. Roads do indeed have character, and users are able to identify and evaluate characteristics specific to each road segment. Certain road characteristics strongly influenced users' trip satisfaction. Specifically, many roadway features related to maintaining scenic and environmental qualities were highly valued. It was also apparent that users are not supportive of additional business development along some roadways, instead preferring to see that activity clustered in communities located on the road segment. Benefits sought and attained by road travelers frequently included the opportunity to be with friends and family, escape from everyday life, and relaxation. Results also revealed that even though a particular roadway may not have official scenic designation, user evaluations were similar to or even more focused on the scenic qualities of that road when compared to roadways with official scenic designation.

This report details the development of a Web-based economic impact calculator for Minnesota's Small and Medium Size, General Aviation airports. In this case, "economic impact" is defined as the result of expenditures or sales transactions between businesses or other entities that can be directly traced to the presence of an airport.