Tourists flock to Duluth in the summer, and Lake Superior is a major attraction. Day Tripper of Duluth is a seasonal business that takes locals and tourists alike on a variety of kayaking trips. Reservations spiked at the beginning of the pandemic, but are now back to normal.

“Kayaking was one of the few things you could do during COVID and still have fun with it. It was still just as much fun, so we had a flood of, just crazy bookings. We were doing our best to offer trips to as many people as possible. We had to turn down a lot of offers, which was really, really hard,” said co-owner Abby Halom. “Last year, things started to get back to normal, and this year we’re back to normal numbers, which is a relief. It’s a better quality that we’re able to offer people, and just a little more affordable numbers.”

Other businesses struggled early in the pandemic but are now seeing an uptick in numbers. Duluth Chamber of Commerce Vice President Daniel Fanning says there’s hope that trend will continue.

“I think the general consensus we’ve heard from our chamber members is that it’s been a good summer and things are headed in the right direction. But we also know there’s still room to improve. We haven’t had the record numbers that some people were hoping for,” Fanning said. “Duluth is open for business. We have the capacity and we just want to continue to grow those numbers.”

According to Fanning, many Chamber members, from downtown restaurants and hotels to tourist attractions, have seen an increase in tourism revenue. Fanning says that’s good for everyone.

“When people come downtown, whether they’re staying in hotels or not, they’re spending money downtown,” Fanning said. “That has an economic impact that helps everyone. So we just want to encourage people to support local businesses.”

While Duluth is known for its pleasant summers, it has a lot to offer in the fall.

“Split Rock is really good for fall foliage. Also, the hawk migration is really cool on the water. You get out on the North Shore, on the water, and you can often see a lot of birds that are migrating,” Halom said.

Visiting the area is not limited to tourists – locals can also support businesses in the region all year round.

“We want people to come in the fall, spring, winter and summer. It’s not just about tourism, it’s about residents coming in, supporting the zoos, supporting our businesses downtown, because that matters. The economic impact affects all of us in a positive way,” Fanning said. “I think to attract those people, whether it’s from the Twin Cities or Wisconsin, you come here, you see the foliage, you enjoy the college sports, of course, but also the local businesses that we have here, the music scene, the restaurants, the hotels, the trains, all of those amenities that you just can’t get in most places across the country.”

Duluth’s tourist tax revenue, a good indicator of the city’s tourism trends, totaled $1,568,608 in June. That’s up 1.8% from last year and 9.5% from 2022.

Year-to-date tourism tax revenues through June totaled $6,290,045. That’s an increase of 0.9% over last year and 10.4% over 2022. Numbers for July and August are not yet available.