Burnsville invites you to stop -- and stay

No longer content to be a sleep-over base for tourists who are going to the Twin Cities, Burnsville has rolled out a new website to pull in visitors -- especially from Iowa and Canada -- to take advantage of the city's own amenities.

"We get a lot of Iowa travelers, and they love Burnsville because of our easy access off the Interstate, our hotel and motel rooms and the Burnsville Center," said Amie Burrill, executive director of the Burnsville Convention & Visitors Bureau, which runs the website.

Last September, Burrill and others reevaluated the mission of the bureau -- in its 20th year -- and focused on the Internet as its strongest marketing tool for tourism. Viewed then as a bit arcane, the website Burnsvillemn.com has been spruced up after months of work.

Officials want to attract even more visitors by trumpeting city assets including natural amenities, arts and entertainment venues, and lots of retail.

The Burnsville leaders, like those in many other suburbs, are wooing visitors to come and leave their dollars behind, providing jobs and an infusion of cash.

"A lot of communities are focusing on their website presence," Burrill said. The consumer-friendly site touts five significant events, such as an arts and jazz festival Aug. 16, a lengthy events calendar and business links.

"We wanted to hone it and have a focus on what the purpose is," she said, "and that is to enhance the community's economy by positioning and marketing Burnsville as a preferred visitor destination."

While the shopping, culture and business in Minneapolis and St. Paul are nearby, Burrill and others also want to showcase Burnsville as a destination for travelers keen on the arts or a showy horse farm or skiing, for example.

Just 15 minutes from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the city is the state's 10th largest, with 60,000 people. It has more than 80 restaurants, 10 hotels and motels, and several conference centers.

Fewer than 10 minutes away is the Mall of America with its new Nickelodeon Universe theme park. Also nearby is Valleyfair, Canterbury Park and the Minnesota Zoo.

Meanwhile, along Interstate 35W in Burnsville, the old Kraemer quarry will be converted into a man-made lake within 15 years, which city leaders hope will help attract more visitors as well as serve citizens. Also in this northwest quadrant will be new housing and businesses, including retailers, thanks to new legislation signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty that will allow Burnsville officials to use tax-increment financing to develop the city's last big undeveloped area.

The city has more than 3,300 acres of parks and wildlife refuge lands and easy access to the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge at Cliff Fen Park.

But the community's biggest draw could well be the Performing Arts Center, an eight-story structure that will feature a 1,000-seat theater when it opens later this year, Burrill said.

There are more entertainment venues. The 15-screen Cinemagic Theater, with a new Imax theater located in the same complex, is under construction. It will join Grand Slam USA and ProKart as magnets that Burrill hopes will attract families.

"It's good for the city, for the economy and good for people outside of the area to see what Burnsville's really like," said Tom Hansen, the city's chief of operations. "We think that after people see Burnsville, they might want to move their business here, move their family here, and go to school here."

Burrill said the Convention & Visitors Bureau spent a quarter of its 2007 marketing money to upgrade the website. The bureau is funded by a 3 percent local lodging tax, which last year brought more than $308,000; nearly all it went toward tourism and convention efforts, said city spokesman Jim Skelly.

It's a good investment, Burrill said, because state statistics show that every dollar invested in tourism returns $4.60 in state and local taxes -- as well as $20.40 in wages and $53 in gross sales.

The city is already the eighth-largest retail city in the state, said Hansen, who also serves as a deputy city manager. Now, the city hopes to reach out to more recreational and business travelers who turn to the Internet before turning their ignition key.

"Visit the website first, then visit Burnsville," he said. "You'll like it."

Joy Powell • 952-882-9017