Story by CAROYLYN MOORE

When history writes the story of the spring of 2009, it will undoubtedly give Mother Nature a leading role.

From bitterly cold temperatures refusing to abandon their wintry ways to rising rivers and streams wreaking havoc on dozens of communities across the state, North Dakota’s unpredictable spring landed the state squarely in the national spotlight on more than one occasion.

But as North Dakota Tourism Director Sara Otte Coleman watched images of Fargo residents working through blizzard conditions, feverishly filling sandbags in an effort to keep the rising Red River at bay, she saw more than the wrath of Mother Nature; she saw the spirit of brotherly love that makes North Dakota special.

“People saw good images of North Dakota, of people helping people,” she said. And while the reason those images ended up on national airwaves was certainly not ideal, Otte Coleman says the way residents banded together to make it through a difficult time may prove quite powerful in attracting visitors to the area as the busiest months of the tourism season approach.

Otte Coleman’s observations are in line with at least one national opinion; a study released last year by Cambridge University named North Dakota the friendliest state in the United States. Dickinson Convention Visitors Bureau Executive Director Terri Thiel has met several visitors who happily agree with that assessment.

“A lot of people who stop in to the CVB here comment over and over to us that this has been the friendliest place they’ve ever been,” Thiel said.

“And it is nice to hear because when you’re in your own state for so long you become so acclimated, but we really do hear it from those travelers.”

But friendly faces aren’t the only things that have North Dakota tourism officials smiling; in 2008, the industry saw increases nearly across the board.

“Overall we were very pleased with the numbers this past year,” Otte Coleman said.

“Not very many areas in the country fared as well as we did.”

National park visits jumped 13 percent in 2008, visits to the state’s major attractions went up about 4 percent and Canadian border crossings and airline boardings also rose. But the area that showed the most dramatic increase was in cyberspace, as unique visits to NDTourism.com jumped 41 percent.

Otte Coleman says that points to a shift in how visitors map out their vacations. “People are doing their preliminary planning online and not necessarily calling and having a packet sent out to them,” she said.

“We’re doing more and more of our travel counseling via the internet. The website is available 24/7, so it’s there to serve us and to serve our partners.”

And with more than 6,500 links to businesses and attractions across the state, Otte Coleman says visitors are able to find everything they need to tailor their visit to their liking. As a $3.96 billion industry, tourism is the state’s second largest industry.

And while the industry generates substantial dollars for the state in revenue, it takes substantial spending to do so. Otte Coleman says North Dakota Tourism spent about $1.8 million last year on marketing the state through its “Legendary” campaign.

Otte Coleman says those dollars are well spent, citing the most recent return on investment study from 2007 which showed a return of $123 in visitor spending for every dollar spent on paid media advertising. Otte Coleman says officials work hard at finding the most effective ways to spend tourism dollars.

“We’re constantly researching. We look at the trends and how we’re trending, we look at demographics, spending patterns and what visitors did while they were here–that helps us identify new markets sand make sure we’re on target and in the right places,” she said.

At the Dickinson CVB, Thiel said visits to the area have remained strong despite a national recession that comes on the heels of record-high gas prices last year.

“I think people did continue to vacation [last year], and I think that they will still–I think it might just be closer to home,” she said.

Tough economic times will likely be the biggest challenge for the tourism industry in the coming months, Otte Coleman said, but as the American Automobile Association’s most affordable vacation state for three years running, she says North Dakota should fare well.

“The media tells us so many times that we don’t have any money and you have to pull back and you think ‘maybe we’d better cancel our vacation this summer and stay home.’ That’s the biggest concern,” she said.

“It’s turning around, though, and I think the media is realizing that people are going to tune out if all they hear is bad, bad, bad. The public are demanding to see the upside of this.”

Thiel has a hunch about what that upside may be. “I think there’s a national resurgence of family happening and people are cutting out some of those things they don’t need and just spending more time together,” she said.

Only time will tell how history will finish the story of 2009, but tourism officials remain hopeful it will be positive. “We’re kind of defying the odds and we’re feeling good about our strategies,” Otte Coleman said. “We are cautiously optimistic.”

From NDtourism.com:

According to AAA’s Annual Vacation Cost Survey, North Dakota has an average daily cost of $159 for food and lodging, compared to the national daily average of $244. Hawaii, at $793 per day, remained the state with the highest daily cost.

Neighboring Minnesota’s 2008 average daily cost is $50 higher than North Dakota’s. And, Wisconsin’s daily average was $47 greater than North Dakota. Average daily vacation costs North Dakota: $95.71(lodging) + $63.04 (meals) = $158.75 Wisconsin: $128.36 (lodging) + $77.52 (meals) = $205.88 Minnesota: $143.88 (lodging) + $68.58 (meals) = $212.46 National Average: $163.82 (lodging) + $79.71 (meals) = $243.53

“North Dakota continues to be a great vacation value for families,” said Sara Otte Coleman.

“Because of our state’s low lodging and food prices, families can have the peace of mind that they can take a vacation without breaking the bank. Plus, with the money saved by vacationing in North Dakota, they’ll be able to enjoy more of our legendary experiences, while creating priceless memories.”

Lodging costs are based on a two person/two bed rate plus one extra person charge for two children. Food costs include three meals per person for four people, excluding beverages, taxes and gratuity. Last year, North Dakota also was the nation’s most affordable state to visit based upon food and lodging costs. In 2006 North Dakota tied with Nebraska. AAA has been tracking vacation costs since 1950 when the average daily cost for meals and lodging was $13.