North Dakota Tourism reports good numbers for the 2023 season.
And the state tourism director thinks the outlook for 2024 is very good as well.
Sara Otte Coleman said in 2023, hotel revenues increased more than 17 percent, for a total of $531 million.
"Room nights sold were up," Otte Coleman said. "Occupancy rates were also up."
Taxable sales from tourism were also up, as were visitation numbers.
"We measure recorded trips by geo-location tracking devices," Otte Coleman said, "That showed about an 18.5 percent increase year-over-year in visitation."
And she said Canadian cross border traffic was also better than 2022.
"They were up 47 percent," Otte Coleman said. "But we still aren't at pre-pandemic levels. We're still trying to rebuild that."
But she said overall, the numbers have rebounded — and that bodes well for the summer coming up.
"We think people are going to be budget-conscious again this year," Otte Coleman said. "The research is showing that people do want to travel."
Otte Coleman said when it comes to family travel, people are going to want to take several trips.
"We're working hard to position North Dakota, so the state is on the top of that list for this year," Otte Coleman said. "We're affordable, we're accessible, and we have a lot of great opportunities, depending on what your interests are."
