The tourism industry in Chisago County’s city of Lindstrom was assessed using the University of Minnesota Tourism Center’s Tourism Assessment Program. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the city’s tourism were identified and used to inform actions to strengthen the industry in Lindstrom.

1. Chisago Lakes Area
Tourism Assessment Program
Case Study
2008-2011
Liz Templin
Extension Professor
University of Minnesota
Extension

4. Lindstrom
•Settled in 1853
•Similar to Sweden
•Population 4,442
•Minneapolis: 35 mi

5. Vilmelm Moberg
Lindstrom
Collected stories
Required reading for all
children in Sweden

7. Lindstrom Tourism
•Swedish Tour Buses
•Hazelden families

8. Welcome to your source for
Minnesota tourism education and research!

9. University of Minnesota Extension
• Founded as “Agricultural
Extension Service”
• “Extend U research”
• Community Economics:
– Retail Analysis and
Development
– Business Retention and
Expansion
– Public Finance
– E-Commerce
– Tourism (tourism.umn.edu)
• Festival and Event
Management
• Customer Service
• Tourism Assessment Program

10. Toolkit for communities
Available on Amazon.com

11. Tourism Assessment Program
Benefits
• Is tourism right for us?
• What tourism trends are impacting us?
• What are our tourism strengths and
weaknesses?
• What are our tourism markets?
• What are our tourism business opportunities?

12. Research Steps
1. Review existing data on
the community
2. Community Visit
– Community compiles list of
attractions
– A tour of the city and area
– Visits to sites and attractions
– Casual conversations
– A community forum:
values, strengths, weaknesses
, opportunities and threats
3. Report with
Recommendations

13. Lindstrom Findings
• Strengths:
– Water/lakes
– Swedish heritage
• Weaknesses:
– Lack of hospitality facilities (lodging)
– Lack of community cohesiveness
• Opportunities
– Being a Swedish tour destination
– Day trips from Minneapolis – St Paul
• Threats
– Lack of community cooperation
– Traffic congestion

14. Tourism Reality
• Reality: Lindstrom
currently hosts tourists
– friends and family of
residents
– Swedish visitors wanting
to see Moberg sites
– Hazelden
– to people passing on their
way to other locations.
• Challenge: How to
manage the visitor
experience to the benefit
of residents and business
owners.
• Results!

15. Key Actions & Success Since 2008
1. Increased Community Cooperation
2. Enhanced Marketing
3. Expanded Attractions
4. Preserving Lake Quality
5. Expanding Lodging

16. 1. Increased Community Cooperation
• Tourism committee:
– Business leaders
– City staff
• Chamber of Commerce:
– Weekly email on upcoming group tours
– Businesses obtained email addresses

17. City Efforts to
Work with Businesses
•Weekly email updates
•Business Breakfast
•Market during road construction

18. 2012 Road Construction:
Saw financial impact of tourism!

19. New marketing realities
Many businesses believed
a telephone was all they
needed
Learning: If you’re not on
the internet, customers
can’t find you

20. Lindstrom On-Line Presence
No Website: 13%
Website
No Website
Incorrect Google Places: 11%
Google Places
Correct
Google Places
Incorrect

21. Missing Social Media
94% Not on Yelp (iPhone search) 96% not on Facebook
Yelp Claimed
Yelp Not Claimed
Yelp Not Listed
On Facebook
Not on Facebook

22. Multi-Community Cooperation

23. 2. Enhanced Marketing

24. 3. Expand Attractions

25. 4. Preserving the lake’s water quality
• Failing septic systems resulted in annexation
to city
• Added rain garden

26. 5. Expand Lodging Options

28. Challenges
• Funding for staff to do tourism marketing
• Business use of the internet

29. Thank you
Liz Templin
templin@umn.edu