The City of Duluth has announced that a new team that will explore new ways to increase tourism in the area.

Mayor Roger Reiner made the announcement on Wednesday, hoping that the group will be able to bring new visitors to the area. Local officials see increased tourism as a way to push the city’s economy forward.

The City of Duluth has previously partnered with a Minneapolis-St. Paul based company called Bellmont Partners, which recently opened an office in the city after receiving the contract. The City’s contract with the firm will expire at the end of the year.

Mayor Reinert is hoping that an opportunity to pass that responsibility to a Duluth-based company may present itself down the line. He believes Duluth residents have the talent and dedication to effectively promote tourism without the help of an outside company.

The group will examine what aspects of the city’s tourism are working, and what areas they can begin to improve. To start, they will determine a way to measure the current success of tourism programs and decide what the goal going forward should be.

According to a Northern News Now report, Mayor Reinert says “It’s a narrowly defined group with a narrowly defined mission and that is to advise the city on the parameters of our next RFP, as we got to market and think about who will be partners in the tourism marketing efforts.”

The group’s efforts will cover reviews of hotels, restaurants, and local attractions to find out what’s working and what possibilities are available.