When 2022 begins on Saturday, so will a new era for Duluth as a tourist destination. 

Visit Duluth has marketed the city to potential visitors for more than 80 years. But on Jan. 1, Bellmont Partners is taking the helm. 

"We are longtime visitors and fans of Duluth, so to be able to promote a place that we love so much was just a dream assignment for us," Shelli Lissick with Bellmont Partners said. 

The Duluth City Council's decision to hire Bellmont to steer tourism promotion was tough. But now it's time for the transition. 

Minneapolis-based Bellmont opened a Duluth office downtown, and Lissick said they joined the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce. 

"We've been doing our homework," she said. "And that includes meeting with a lot of community and tourism leaders across the city, listening to them, getting firsthand their challenges, opportunities, how we can best partner with them."

Lissick sees Duluth's best assets as Lake Superior, outdoor recreation opportunities, the arts and culture scene, food and beverage options, and family-friendly activities. 

But Bellmont and its creative partner Lawrence & Schiller are doing some research to find out who their target market should be. 

"We know that the last 18 months to two years have been really crazy and traveler sentiment has been changing so much over that last 18 months as well," Laura Mitchell with Lawrence & Schiller said. "We really want to understand where are travelers' minds today and where might be those opportunity areas across the Upper Midwest to really draw in our potential visitors."

Lissick and Mitchell expect January and February will be transition months. But then it's full steam ahead. 

"The advertising campaign will be launching closer to the spring months," Lissick explained. "In the meantime, community members and visitors will be seeing social media content, website content, and public relations campaigns happening." 

Visit Duluth will continue to operate on a scaled-back basis. They will run the visitor center in the Holiday Center and be in charge of convention sales. 

To see the original report and read related stories, follow this link to the WDIO-TV website. https://www.wdio.com/news/bellmont-partners-duluth-tourism-marketing/6346174/?cat=10335