By Kait Ecker

Fishing opener in Minnesota is like a national holiday for many— a bustling weekend filled with community festivities and dozens of boats on the water. Albert Lea, which hosted Gov. Tim Walz last year to open the season, did so with a myriad of activities like dinner, dancing, an art exhibition, and a reading of locally curated “biggest fish” stories. But this year, the governor cancelled his scheduled visit to Otter Tail County this weekend. Fishing will be allowed, but there won’t be crowds. Travel is discouraged. Anglers are being asked to stick to a lake close to home.

Typically this weekend in May is not only the fishing opener, but a tourism opener. It signals the start of the busy season for restaurants, hotels, and storefronts that survived winter. Instead, with the stay-at-home order strongly encouraging people to stay within their own communities, the critical spring season is starting out with stacking lost revenue for Minnesota’s $16 billion hospitality and tourism industry.

Read more: http://tcbmag.com/news/articles/2020/may/reimagining-minnesota-s-tourism-industry