Welcome to Kenmare

Feature Stories (Vol. 109 No. 14--4/04/2007)

Proposed tourism association for this area would have limitless potential

By Caroline Downs

Maria Effertz Hanson, community development specialist with the Souris Basin Planning Council, got to the heart of the matter of promoting tourism when she grinned and said, "We all have stories of families and friends who visit us here. How do we make some money off of these people?"

Hanson and Mitch Monson, executive director of Northwest Venture Communities Inc. (NVCI), met with a handful of Bowbells area residents March 22nd to talk about starting a new regional tourism association in north central North Dakota, just as the first days of spring encouraged thoughts of outdoor activities and travel.

"We know we can get people here for the [Burke County] birding festival," Hanson said, referring to one event already planned for June. "Wouldn’t it be neat if they spend three more days touring the region?"

She explained a regional tourism partnership among individuals, businesses, organizations and communities could serve to raise awareness of tourism, develop new tourism businesses, and provide assistance to existing and newly-created tourism ventures in the area. "It would maximize our limited resources and limitless potential," she added.

She and Monson shared a few facts to underscore the impact of tourism in the state. According to North Dakota State University researchers, the tourism industry accounts for over $3 billion of economic activity in the state. The North Dakota Department of Commerce Tourism Division reported $88 million solely in visitor spending for 2005.

The numbers of people coming to fish in North Dakota jumped 110 percent from 1991 to 2001, while the number of hunters increased 68 percent. Birding Drives Dakota reported that 59.3 percent of the birdwatchers counted in 2005 traveled to North Dakota from out-of-state, with almost a fifth of them earning an annual income above $125,000.

Members of the audience agreed North Dakota made these opportunities available and affordable, but Hanson pushed them to consider the future of tourism. "Look at trending, where you want tourism to grow," she said, adding that single-parent families led by women are a huge market. "Why are cruises so popular? Because Mom gets on the ship and doesn’t have to think for the next seven days!"

Hanson explained one service a regional tourism association could provide potential tourists would be in trip planning, using websites, brochures and maps all focused on the north central area. "I’d recommend you work toward itinerary development," she said. "The idea is to create an itinerary so people start thinking about where they can go and where they can stay."

She referred to similar partnerships already established in other regions of the state. She and Monson showed examples of the website maintained by an association of 11 counties in the south central region, found at www.tournd.com, with information about everything from hunting and fishing to motels and mechanics.

Businesses and individuals from several of the state’s southwestern counties formed Dakota West Adventures, with a website at www.dakotawestadventures.com. "There were people who wanted to capture the markets outside of Medora," Hanson said.

Communities from southern Manitoba and the northern border of North Dakota created the Turtle Mountain Tourism Association and market themselves at www.turtlemountains.org. Towns from Killdeer east to Riverdale designed the Sakakawea South Shore website at www.sakakaweasouthshore.com to highlight attractions, events, goods and services available in that area.

Hanson noted these websites provided an email link so interested tourists could ask questions or request specific information, such as maps or events calendars. The websites also featured full color photos of area attractions or tourist activities specific to the communities. "We’ve got to brag about the stuff that we have," she said.

She and Monson suggested the counties in north central North Dakota could organize themselves in a similar manner. "The goal is to connect the pieces," she said, "to find and promote those people who will house, who will transport, who have a restaurant in town."

She referred again to the Burke County Birding Festival, which tentatively includes events at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, Kenmare and Powers Lake. "Those birders are going to come," she said. "How do we capture those dollars?"

Monson said NVCI could assist a regional tourism association and would help with the design of a tourism webpage for the area. Hanson reported she had spoken with representatives from the Minot Convention and Visitors Bureau, who were also willing to provide support in the spirit of cooperation.

In addition to worldwide exposure on the Internet, individuals and businesses who joined the tourism association would benefit from joint planning meetings, training sessions in hospitality, liability and other issues, printed materials such as brochures, and access to grant funds. "The potential is endless," Hanson said. "The question is, how do we do it?"

NVCI leads "Dakota Dreams, Partnering for Prosperity," a community effort to improve the quality of life and reduce poverty in Burke, Bottineau, McHenry, McLean, Mountrail, Pierce, Renville, Ward Counties and Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold of North Dakota. According to Monson, increasing the tourism activity in those counties would be a perfect fit for the organization’s mission.

With meetings held in each of the counties served by NVCI, Hanson explained she would now report to the board of directors about the positive response she heard and ask them to continue their support. "The next step is the formulation of an association," she said. "The structure has not been formed yet, but no matter what, we’re going to have that regional group."

Hanson emphasized that even with backing from NVCI, a regional tourism association would have to be a grassroots effort. "This takes a commitment on behalf of the people," she said.

Individuals, organizations or businesses could join the tourism association for a nominal fee, which has yet to be determined along with the official name and logo. "We’re looking for individual operators," said Hanson. "The dues would vary, but the group needs to be sustainable."

She continued, "We’ve talked about $25 for individual memberships, which will get you a mention on the website. For $100, you could have your own webpage on the site."

She and Monson described the possibilities of developing new tourism businesses in the area, such as farm visits, craft shops and classes, and bed and breakfast sites. "It takes time," Monson said. "[NVCI] is going to be here to be the catalyst to see that this moves forward."

"We’ll grow at a pace we can handle," Hanson added.

She said as the association comes together, she will want two or three contact people from each county and the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation to handle tourism questions and requests from potential visitors to the area..

For more information about the proposed north central North Dakota tourism association, contact Hanson at 701-839-6641 or Monson by phone at 1-800-210-6134 or email at info@nvci.org.