ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Explore Minnesota Tourism has awarded almost $75,000 in grants to 21 nonprofit tourism promotion organizations to market winter travel to communities across the state.

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A direct mail campaign will lure snowmobilers, a TV ad will tout ice fishing, a billboard in Wisconsin will feature skiing, while other advertising will focus on theater, concerts and city visits. These are a few of the promotions funded by these grants that are aimed at drawing visitors to Minnesota destinations next winter.

"Roughly 20 percent of travel in Minnesota takes place during the winter, so it's a key season to promote. These public/private partnerships allow communities to expand their seasonal marketing, and in many cases, to reach new markets," explained John Edman, director of Explore Minnesota Tourism, the state's tourism promotion office.

Recipients include convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, lodging and resort associations and other community tourism organizations. Communities provide 60 percent of the cost of these marketing programs, or more than $112,000 in additional funding leveraged by these winter promotion grants. The winter partnership grants are part of an annual Explore Minnesota Partnership Grants program totaling more than $700,000.

Tourism is a $10 billion industry in Minnesota, supporting 235,000 jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector statewide.

A complete list of the winter tourism partnership grants appears below. EXPLORE MINNESOTA TOURISM PARTNERSHIP GRANTS 2006-2007 Winter Activities Grants AMOUNT Brainerd Lakes Area Chambers of Commerce $3,200.00 Cloquet Area Tourism $1,712.00 Cuyuna Range Chamber of Commerce $1,659.00 Detroit Lakes $3,743.20 Ely Chamber of Commerce $5,000.00 Fergus Falls $4,952.33 Glenwood Area Chamber of Commerce $2,000.00 Greater Minneapolis CVA $5,000.00 Greater Stillwater Chamber $4,800.00 Gunflint Trail Association $5,000.00 Hinckley CVB $1,725.20 Lake of the Woods $1,396.00 Lake Vermillion Resort Association $4,423.35 Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce $1,260.00 Lutsen-Tofte Tourism Assn $5,000.00 Mankato Area Chamber & CB $3,440.00 Mille Lacs Area Tourism $4,982.00 St. Croix Valley Tourism Alliance $5,000.00 Thief River Falls CVB $597.60 Visit Duluth $5,000.00 Visit Minneapolis North $5,000.00 TOTAL WINTER GRANT REQUESTS $74,890.68

CONTACT: Joan Hummel of Explore Minnesota Tourism, +1-651-297-4714

Web site: http://www.exploreminnesota.com/