Duluth felt a softer summer in 2024. Fewer Canadian travelers and stretches of wildfire smoke pulled down hospitality, dining, and attractions, with July hotel occupancy off about 3 percent from the year before. Duluth held up better than much of the state, but the season was a reminder that even a reliable tourist town has slow tides.
When the crowd thins, the businesses that feel it least are the ones not wholly dependent on whoever happens to walk by. They have a way to reach the people who already know them.
If you run a local shop, use a quieter stretch to build marketing you own rather than rent. Collect emails at the register, keep your Google Business Profile current, and send a short note to past customers when things slow. Borrowed foot traffic comes and goes with the weather and the exchange rate. A list of people who chose you once is the anchor that holds when the season doesn't cooperate.
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