Sen. Klobuchar Backs Tourism-Driven Waterfront Revamp in Two Harbors; Highlights National Tourism Hit So-Far

TWO HARBORS, Minn. — Senator Amy Klobuchar visited Two Harbors on Monday to announce the groundbreaking of two projects along the city’s waterfront and the impact and effects of tourism.

Senator Klobuchar says that a $90-billion projected loss in tourism revenue is expected across the country for just 2025.

At a press event in Two Harbors, on Monday, Klobuchar talked about how crucial tourism revenue is to American states and cities.

In Minnesota, tourism revenue adds up to 20-billion dollars a year supporting more than 180,000 jobs. But Klobuchar believes, President Trump’s tariffs on countries like our neighbors in Canada will severely affect America’s tourism.

Klobuchar says an estimated 70% of Canadians have canceled travel plans to the United States.

“When we use these big numbers, about $90-billion in tourism, all it takes in Two Harbors is what? Losing 50 rooms and that’s a huge repercussion for the people that live there,” said Senator Klobuchar. “All that being said, I still believe that we’re going to get through this and it’s because of local people.”

Meanwhile Klobuchar also shared good news out of Monday’s press conference.

Two Harbor’s Mayor Lew Conner and Janelle Jones, the Executive Director of ‘Lovin’ Lake County,’ the county’s tourism group, joined Sen. Klobuchar and talked about the different ways the city is looking to attract more visitors.

“But over the next few years, we will see many new amenities on the waterfront, the Agate Bay Waterfront Development,” said Conner. “This is going to be a park-like waterfront that’ll include fishing piers, hiking trails, outdoor recreation, and a limited space for some commercial development.”

“Last year, 80% of our restaurants and our retail dollars came from tourists,” said Jones. “So when you take a county of our size and take 80% of that, which is based on tourism, you realize how important that quality of life is for us living here. We have to have tourism to be able to sustain that.”

The plan is to build a boutique hotel and an attached event center along the water front. The hotel is expected to have 100 rooms and the event center can hold up to 500 people.

A veterans memorial is also planned along the water front and is expected to potentially break ground later this summer.

Funding sources are still be worked out.

The Two Harbors Economic Development Authority is also working on ideas to grow the city’s downtown district.