According to a recent survey by the Minnesota Resort and Campground Association, roughly 70 percent of the state's resort and campground owners who responded said 2012 was a "good" season or even better. The Duluth News Tribune reports 16 percent of respondents rated this summer as "average" and 14 percent deemed it "not so great."

“To have 70 percent rate the season as good or great, that’s a good year,” Dan McElroy, executive vice president of the 350-member association, told the newspaper. “It’s clear the economy has bounced back. More people are traveling more often.’’

DL-Online notes Mother Nature, gas prices and the economy always play a role in the success of tourism. In June, devastating flood waters wiped out several popular weeks for the travel and tourism industry in parts of Carlton, Itasca, Aitkin and southern St. Louis counties.

In September, Explore Minnesota found 53 percent of the businesses surveyed reported an increase in revenue from the year before, the Star Tribune reported.