Bismarck, N.D. –Recently released studies show North Dakota outpacing the nation in tourism growth.  The studies include research by IHS Global Insight, Longwoods International, Statistics Canada, the U.S. Travel Association, and North Dakota State University.

The IHS Global Insight study, commissioned by North Dakota Tourism, indicates North Dakota’s core tourism grew by 10.7 percent from calendar year 2006 to calendar year 2008, compared to national growth of 8.1 percent during the same timeframe. Core tourism includes the primary industries of accommodations, entertainment, retail, dining and transportation.

“North Dakota’s tourism industry, which has shown solid growth over the years, is a strong contributor to our state’s positive economic climate,” said Gov. John Hoeven.

Other highlights from the Global Insight study include:

Approximately $760 million in wages and salaries were generated by travel and tourism in 2008.

31,208 jobs were created by travel and tourism economic activity, accounting for 8.5 percent of total employment in the state.

67 percent of travelers are non-residents.

The IHS Global Insight study is the most recent of several studies North Dakota utilizes that shows North Dakota Tourism is on the right track, according to Shane Goettle, commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Commerce. “The Tourism Division routinely conducts research to determine the effectiveness of our marketing strategies,” said Goettle. “These studies consistently show North Dakota’s tourism industry is growing. Our research-driven strategy is the core of our success.”

Due to the diversity of the industry, it is important to use several methods to measure and cross check the impact of tourism.

Canadian travel increases

Additionally, a report from Statistics Canada, summarized for North Dakota by Longwoods International, demonstrates the impact Canadian visitors have on North Dakota. Statistics Canada shows Canadian travel to North Dakota was up 32.1 percent, yielding 1.5 million trips for the timeframe of 2006 to 2008, within the same period Canadian expenditures grew 86 percent, totaling $273 million in 2008.

Another indicator of Canadian travel to North Dakota is border crossing numbers.  From 2006 to 2008, crossings increased 16 percent.

The North Dakota Tax Department confirms the growth of Canadian travel, with increases of over 400 percent in sales tax refunds to Canadians.

Other studies demonstrating North Dakota’s tourism growth include:

NDSU, which reports contributors to the state’s economic base, uses like methodology to compare five industries within ND.



2007 key finding: Tourism is one of North Dakota’s largest economic contributors, generating $3.96 billion in non-resident expenditures. To put that into context, revenues generated by the oil industry in 2007 were $3.35 billion.





U.S. Travel Industry Association uses like methodology across all states to measure traveler spending.



2007 key finding: North Dakota outpaced the nation in tourism growth (2006 to 2007), posting a 9.4 percent increase versus 6.1 percent for the nation.





Longwoods International’s domestic visitor studies use visitor surveys to measure domestic activity. 



2008 key findings:  A 19 percent increase in spending by domestic overnight visitors; 75 percent of ND trips are for leisure.







“It’s an industry best practice to use an array of studies and methodologies to measure our state’s tourism health. Every one of our numbers points to growth in our state’s tourism industry,” said Sara Otte Coleman, director of the North Dakota Tourism Division. “This shows our affordable messaging and close-to-home advertising strategy is well attuned to the times and trends, and as you can see, we’re seeing the success of our strategy in the measurements.”

North Dakota Tourism’s marketing is centered around the Legendary branding strategy, launched eight years ago. The marketing focuses on the state’s rich culture and heritage set against a backdrop of scenic beauty with fun things to see and do. The target market is the Upper Midwest, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, and South Dakota, as well as Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada.

All of these statistics can be found on North Dakota Tourism’s Web site NDTourism.com.

North Dakota received two legendary designations in 2008 – most affordable (AAA) and friendliest (Cambridge University).

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