Extension team at University of Minnesota Tourism Center measures economic impact of and opportunities for destinations, events, and other community assets E stablished in 1987, the University of Minnesota Tourism Center is one of the oldest tourism-
Q & A Xinyi Qian Director University of Minnesota
have used what they learned to add components to their events or to overhaul existing compo - nents. After taking the event management course, one attendee decided to relaunch a festival that had gone dormant in his community. We have presented many times at the Minnesota Festival and Event Association conference and have participated in the Minnesota Resort and Campground Association conference, the Explore Minnesota Tourism conference, and the Minneso - ta Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus education summit. Community members often
Tourism Center qianx@umn.edu
Describe the Center’s main focus areas and their benefits. We conduct tourism- and visitor- related research, create and deliver educational programs to other tourism professionals, present at community gatherings and industry conferences, and support university students.
focused groups in Cooperative Exten - sion. It was created to help strength - en the state’s tourism economy, and today Minnesota’s $16 billion tour - ism industry relies on research and education from the Center to under - stand, manage, and grow Minneso - ta’s tourism and travel assets. From visitor profiles to economic impact and outdoor recreation studies, the data and analysis the Center provides help guide local decision-making, in - form policy and marketing strategies, and strengthen the economy through tourism. In this Q&A, Center Director Xinyi Qian talks about the work that the Center does and the impact it has had on the state’s tourism market.
come to us with questions about a wide range of topics—from the value of welcome centers to the impact of aquatic invasive species to the future of electric vehicle charging stations. Sometimes we have the answers, and sometimes we connect them with another university or state resource.
Through our research, we have assessed the economic impact of the Minnesota Zoo , examined the state of sustainable tourism in various Minnesota communi - ties, and looked at how COVID-19 affects telecommuting now and how it might affect it in
Students from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the College of Food, Ag -
the future. The Center’s research informs local decisions (e.g., may - be a community decides to finish paving the last stretch of a trail), drives marketing strategies (e.g., perhaps an event starts targeting a niche market), and helps tour - ism businesses and communities address their priority issues. (See the following page for samples of specific research findings.) Our education and training pro - grams provide hands-on informa - tion that participants can use in their work. For example, partic - ipants in our festival and event management online program
VALUE, PROPOSITIONS
p A bike path in Hastings, Minnesota, a community that the Tourism Center has assessed in several ways.
Extension Foundation/NTAE | The NET Effect 23
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