Minneapolis (Feb. 26, 2025) – Meet Minneapolis today announced 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," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. "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 plan, the process engaged more than 900 stakeholders and community members through a multi-layered 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, which has worked with more than 200 communities throughout North America and around the world.

The heart of the destination master plan 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 #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. Tourism isn’t just about attracting visitors; it’s about building a stronger Minneapolis for everyone,” stated Meet Minneapolis President and CEO Melvin Tennant. “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 added, “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 plan, 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, go here.

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ABOUT MEET MINNEAPOLIS
Meet Minneapolis is a private, not-for-profit, member-based association. It actively promotes and sells the Minneapolis area as a destination for conventions and meetings, works to maximize the visitor experience and markets the city as a desirable tourist destination to positively impact the economic and social prosperity of the Minneapolis community. Meet Minneapolis is accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) of Destinations International.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Kathy McCarthy, Senior PR Director, (o) 612-767-8048, (c) 612-508-9720, kathym@minneapolis.org
Kevin Kurtt, PR Manager, (o) 612-767-8118, (c) 952-288-9319, kevink@minneapolis.org