Visit Minot is looking to relocate its offices to downtown but first, it must secure the funds it needs to do so.

Leaders of the tourism and tourist information center said moving downtown is a great opportunity to positively impact local businesses.

That’s why Visit Minot is trying to secure federal funds for its expansion effort.

The project is named Tourism Industry Marketing Incubator and it will provide marketing resources to tourism-related businesses.

The plan which began this past May is estimated to cost about $1.4 million.

Executive Director Stephanie Schoenrock said the proposal will soon be forwarded to the Economic Development Administration for funding.

“What we’re looking to do is provide marketing resources to the tourism industry and essentially it’s an incubator, which means ideas come in projects, come in new people who are trying to open a business, come in again, open a business that serves the tourism industry and we help provide them the marketing tools to get on eat, be more successful and in turn, give us a stronger community,” Schoenrock said.

Right now, the center is located at the Scandinavian Heritage Center.