North Dakota's tourism industry has grown nearly11% in the past couple of years, compared with only 2% on average for the United States as a whole in the same time period. This growth has been fueled, officials say, by increased marketing to Canadian tourists and by business travel.

Whatever the reason, it's good news for Fargo businesses. Your restaurant, hotel, service station, or store can benefit from those travelers.

And how will they decide where to go? The overwhelming majority of travelers now use the internet as their primary source of information -- 82% always look online when they need travel information, studies say. Often, people coming to North Dakota on vacation will seek for a shop or restaurant that they've heard about from friends or read about. Others will have a vague idea that Fargo is famous for its saloons and search around for special regional watering holes.

You can tell whether tourists are researching your business from your website's analytics. Ask your webmaster to check to see where your online visitors come from. Then check to see what they're searching for. Texans looking for "Fargo bakeries" are probably looking for you, while Texans looking for "bakeries" may just be lost. That visitor from Vermont searching for "Midwestern attractions" or "skydiving fargo ND" is probably a tourist.

If you have tourists visiting your website, how can you make them feel welcome?

• Invite them to join your mailing list. Whether you do email or physical mailings, you can send out of town visitors some information about your business and our town.
  
• Link to information about Fargo and North Dakota. Out of town visitors will appreciate your help in finding the best Fargo sites, and you may get some good link exchanges going, too.
  
• Make sure you have a map! Your local visitors may know right where your place is, but tourists need more details.