Community & Tourism
Grandview Park, South St. Paul
COMMUNITY & TOURISM MATTERS
By Eric Satre,
Inver Grove Heights CVB Executive Director
At the heart of a city is community.
At the heart of the travel industry is
tourism. What is tourism and what
role does it play in our communities?
“No other industry touches as many
aspects of a community as tourism.
Tourism is a system of interrelated
industries including lodging, dining,
retail, recreation, entertainment, arts and
culture, and transportation. Tourism is
an economic engine bringing new money
into a community’s economy, providing
jobs and generating taxes that sustain
community vitality.”
–Messer, Cynthia. (2020). University of
Minnesota Tourism Center www.tourism.umn.edu
As you can imagine, the COVID-19
pandemic has devastated both our
business community and in-turn, the
tourism industry. Hotels, restaurants,
attractions, and other industry-related
businesses (many of which are small
businesses) have been forced to temporarily
close or re-imagine business operations
overnight.
Considered an essential business by the
Governor, hotels have stayed open and
ramped up safety precautions during the
check-in process, interactions between
hotel staff and guests, establishing
breakfast to-go, and expanding housekeeping.
Our hotels have made these
adjustments and are ready to welcome
guests when the time is right and visitors
are ready.
Restaurants have been forced to change
their approach as well, ranging from
closed indoor dining, to patios only to
partial indoor dining. Throughout the
pandemic, most have stayed open
offering takeout and delivery options.
Meanwhile, the local community has risen
up to support local restaurants. Social
media is full of countless examples of
residents voicing support and buying
local.
These are just two ways businesses are
adapting to change. The River Heights
Chamber of Commerce, Progress Plus,
Inver Grove Heights CVB, City of Inver
Grove Heights, and City of South St.
Paul are partnering together to provide
resources for businesses and residents
alike. In addition, the CVB is encouraging
visitors to make future travel plans and
research our destination ahead of time.
Studies have shown most visitors will be
ready to travel when deemed safe.
LOCATION, LOCATION,
LOCATION
Location plays a major role in how
we market the region. Located in the
southeast Twin Cities metro, Inver Grove
Heights and South St. Paul are thriving
communities to live, work, and play. Both
cities boast amazing river views, convenient
freeway access to the rest of the
metro area, and a genuine hometown feel
nestled within a large metropolitan area.
The River Heights region is strongly
positioned at the intersection of Highway
52 and I-494. Another major thoroughfare
includes Concord Blvd. which connects
both cities to downtown St. Paul and
several area businesses. From the region,
St. Paul is eight miles, Minneapolis is 15
www.riverheights.com | River Heights Chamber of Commerce 11