Cover photo by Tim Mlodozyniec
Reflecting the stories behind our influence on connection and community growth.
When Bernadette Chapman and her family were preparing to leave military life in Honolulu after her husband’s 20 years of service in the United States Navy, they began searching for a place where their children could grow up with safety, community, and a real quality of life. “We found Destination Duluth online,” she said, “and the photos, stories, and community highlights really showed us what life here could be like.”
Bernadette shared that Destination Duluth “gave us a real glimpse of the Duluth lifestyle, not just the scenery, but the people and values.” From thousands of miles away, the beauty of Lake Superior, the small-town feel with big-city amenities, and the deep sense of pride in this community helped them make their decision. “It made us feel confident that moving here would be the right choice for our family, and it absolutely has been.” Today, they are grounded in Lakeside, grateful for the slower pace, the genuine people, and the connection they found here. Their story reflects the larger picture revealed in the 2025 Destination Duluth Survey.
Banner Year
2025 has been one of the best years in Destination Duluth’s 13-year history.
In January, we launched a new branding and website. Life Up North became a guiding light for our content, painting a clear picture of how life is better “Up North.”
We launched three new initiatives in 2025: Life on Your Lakewalk, Eat & Drink Duluth, and Paws and Their People to showcase the Northland’s unique quality of place.
In November, we surpassed 300,000 followers, with 225k on Facebook and 75k on Instagram. Remarkably, according to Meta analytics, 86 percent of our followers saw our content in 2025. Factoring in inactive Facebook followers, we can confidently state we reached nearly 100 percent of our active followers.
November was also a record-breaking month with 13 million views of our content. For the year, we will hit 80,000,000 individual views of our positive messaging to 9 million unique Facebook and Instagram users. Boldly stating that Life Up North is better.
Affirming Our Purpose
The 2025 survey confirms that we are fulfilling our purpose, mission, vision, and values. Destination Duluth intentionally puts everything through the sieve of these guiding principles.
Survey’s Objective
The goal of the 2025 survey was to measure our influence. Are we fostering a connected, vibrant, and growing community The practical indicators guided our questions to ultimately determine:
Impact on Tourism
Survey Question: “Was Destination Duluth influential in your decision to visit?” Mulitple choices of; Slightly influential, Moderately Influential, Very Influential, Extremely Influential, or Not Influential.
Impact on Population Growth
Survey Question: “Was Destination Duluth influential in your decision to move to the area?” Mulitple choices of; Slightly influential, Moderately Influential, Very Influential, Extremely Influential, or Not Influential
Impact on Connecting People
Is Destination Duluth helping connect people with Duluth by encouraging them to engage in our outdoors, attractions, events, arts and entertainment, restaurants and breweries? These questions measure our influence on meaningful connections that give a deep sense of belonging and identity with Duluth.
Looking Ahead
In 2026 our intentional focus will be to clearly define who we are and what we do that differentiates Destination Duluth from organizations with collaborative missions. We are not competitors with any organization that shares similar goals. We desire to partner and collaborate.
Four Key Words for 2026
The Destination Duluth board has established keywords that will serve as the lens for our content in 2026.
Survey Highlights
For complete results of the survey, including individual attractions, events, restaurants, breweries, and more go to 2025 Destination Duluth Full Survey
Respondents
The survey results are from Destination Duluth followers who have followed the page for more than 3 months. There were 1,903 respondents, with 479 (25 percent) local residents (0–50 miles) and 1,424 (75 percent) who have visited Duluth within the last two years. Questions on influence were framed as follows: “What [Outdoor Activities, Attractions, Events, Restaurants and Breweries] has Destination Duluth influenced you to visit?”
For complete results of the survey, including individual attractions, events, restaurants, breweries, and more go to 2025 Destination Duluth Full Survey
Thank you for taking the time to examine our 2025 survey. Your comments and suggestions on how we can improve are most welcome.
Sincerely,
Jerry Thoreson
Managing Director, Destination Duluth
#lifeupnorth #destinationduluth #befromDuluth #yourdestinationforLife
Destination Duluth is a community-funded 501c3 educational nonprofit. The lists in the survey measures our impact on attractions and establishments that are our partners.
