ST. PAUL, MN – Lt. Governor Tina Smith today visited Pimushe Resort near Bemidji to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing Minnesota’s small resort industry. During the visit, Lt. Governor Smith shadowed Ed and Joanne Fussy to better understand what a typical day is like for small Minnesota resort owners. The Lt. Governor later held a roundtable discussion with small resort owners to better understand the industry.

 

“I had the opportunity to visit with Ed and Joanne today and learn about how important their business is to this community,” said Lt. Governor Tina Smith. “I look forward to taking their story back to the Capitol to ensure that the state can be a better partner to support families like the Fussys, and their great business.”

Ed and Joanne Fussy own Pimushe Resort on Pimushe Lake located 20 miles northeast of Bemidji. For two decades, the Fussy’s family-owned resort has hosted families, hunters, and anglers from around Minnesota and across the country. During the visit, the Fussys highlighted some of the joys, benefits, and challenges of operating a small, family-owned resort.

 

Minnesota’s resort industry provides a significant boost to the state economy, especially in Greater Minnesota where the state’s resorts are almost exclusively located. In Beltrami County, the leisure and hospitality industry generates more than $92.6 million for the local economy, while employing over 2,100 people. In 2014, Minnesota’s 800 resorts generated more than $280 million in annual gross sales. Overall, the tourism industry employs more than 250,000 Minnesotans and contributes $13.6 billion to the state economy. 

 

However, the industry faces challenges. The number of resorts in Minnesota has declined approximately 70 percent since the industry’s peak in 1970. Smaller, family-owned resorts have absorbed most of this decline – a product of increasing lakeshore property values, the high-cost of updating older buildings, and expense of adding modern amenities such as swimming pools, golf courses, and conference centers. 

 

Minnesota lodging comes in all types, from resorts, hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, to lakeside cabins and campgrounds. You can find a great Minnesota family-owned resort for your next summer getaway at www.ExploreMinnesota.com.