Explore Minnesota Launches New State Tourism Website

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Feb. 11, 2020) — Explore Minnesota, the state’s official tourism promotion office, launched a new-and-improved website (exploreminnesota.com) to offer visitors an immersive and inspiring look into what awaits them on a Minnesota vacation. High-impact visuals, videos, original travel content and advanced search capabilities make it easier than ever for travelers to discover activities, events, places to eat, drink and stay overnight across Minnesota. A top Midwest travel destination, Minnesota welcomes 73 million domestic and international visitors annually and contributes $16.0 billion to the state’s economy.  

The new exploreminnesota.com website was built with the latest technology and tourism marketing expertise, with an accessible and mobile-first design that makes planning a trip to Minnesota fun and easy. Based on findings from a digital marketing audit conducted in 2018, Explore Minnesota’s website was rebuilt to better meet the needs of the traveling public, as well as the Minnesota tourism industry.

Explore Minnesota’s last website rebuild was in 2010, with a redesign in 2014.

“ExploreMinnesota.com attracted more than 5.4 million visits in 2019, and serves as many travelers’ first touchpoint with Minnesota,” said Explore Minnesota director John Edman. “The new, visually inspiring website provides travelers the user-friendly and interactive experience they are looking for when planning a trip. We hope it engages travelers in new ways and gets them excited about traveling to Minnesota.”

Developed and designed by Miles Partnership, a strategic marketing company that focuses exclusively on travel and tourism, the new website blends the functionality and best practices of today’s best travel websites with design touches that showcase the uniqueness of Minnesota as a destination. Site visitors will notice design elements inspired by Minnesota’s lakes, woods and Native American heritage, as well as subtle nods to the state’s distinctive shape.

“From concept to execution, the new website experience was built on research showing how today’s consumers use destination websites, as well as which types of content and experiences drive them to choose Minnesota over competing destinations,” said Nate Huff, senior vice president of Miles.

Other highlights of the new website include:

Customized Content

Whether traveling with kids, a significant other, in a wheelchair or with a pet, exploreminnesota.com offers trip ideas and resources designed specifically for a wide array of travelers. Visitors can browse more than 250 articles written by Minnesota travel experts, then connect with tourism businesses in their destination of choice. The website also features user-generated photos throughout to help travelers imagine themselves exploring Minnesota.

In addition, exploreminnesota.com will incorporate personalization software to better target site visitors based on their geography and previous visits to the website.

The Great Outdoors

Minnesota is known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” and for its outdoor recreation of all types, from fishing and boating to biking, hiking, skiing, snowmobiling and camping. This special section spotlights all of those activities and more, and lets visitors know why Minnesota is one of the best places to experience them.

International Content

For the first time, exploreminnesota.com will feature content in eight languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Korean, Italian, Chinese and Japanese, to support growing international arrivals and expanding international flights to the state.

Extensive Tourism Database

The website features the most comprehensive database of tourism-related businesses in Minnesota, with more than 19,000 listings of accommodations, attractions, events, places to eat and drink, and convention and visitor bureaus throughout the state. Site visitors can filter their searches by destination, travel dates and preferred amenities to find their ideal travel options, then connect with those businesses to plan a trip anywhere in the state.

Travel Planning Resources

As always, site visitors can order travel guides, sign up for emails, or get personalized assistance from Explore Minnesota’s travel counselors via email, phone or live chat. All of these services are offered to the public at no cost.

The new website will be unveiled to hundreds of Minnesota tourism stakeholders at the annual Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference at Arrowhead Resort and Conference Center in Alexandria later this month (Feb. 24-26), where Director John Edman will report on the agency’s strategic direction, marketing plans and other statewide travel promotion initiatives.

Learn more about Minnesota travel opportunities and check out the new exploreminnesota.com.  

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About Explore Minnesota

As the state's tourism promotion office, Explore Minnesota pursues an entrepreneurial approach, leveraging the state's tourism investment with increased involvement by the private sector. Tourism is a $16.0 billion industry in Minnesota, and a key sector of the state's economy. The leisure and hospitality industry employs nearly 273,000 workers, representing 11 percent of Minnesota's private sector employment. Leisure and hospitality also generates $1.0 billion of the state's sales tax revenues. Minnesota welcomes more than 73 million domestic and international travelers annually.

Find Your True North at exploreminnesota.com, and share it with @exploreminn on Twitter, or @exploreminnesota on Instagram and Facebook, using #OnlyinMN.