Ted Uecker, Enchanted Highway Foundation Board member, Hettinger, said the new foundation board wants to maintain and expand the highway sculpture collection to promote tourism and establish a legacy for the artist.

Uecker was in Minot Tuesday for the annual North Dakota Travel Industry Conference. The conference, which continues today, is co-hosted by Visit Minot, Destination Marketing Association of North Dakota and the North Dakota Department of Commerce. It brings together tourism and travel professionals from across the state to focus on industry priorities, which this year include AI in marketing, rural workforce challenges and accessible travel.

Digital marketer Carrie Tomlinson spoke to conference participants about trends such as experiential and sports travel. Spending on experiences is far out-pacing other traveler investments and is expected to continue to rise, she said.

One industry survey indicates 65% of respondents say experience has shaped their travel decisions. That particularly is true of the generation ages 18-34, Tomlinson said.

Jill Schramm/MDN Abigail Arnold, left, and Natasha Christianson, right, with the Magic City Discovery Center chat with a visitor at the discovery center booth during the Travel Industry Conference at the State Fair Center in Minot Tuesday.

“It used to be that we’re going to pick a place to go and then we’re going to decide what to do when we get there. There’s this transformational shift happening, where people will decide, ‘I am going to go mountain biking. But now, where am I going to do that?'” she said.

Among top experiences are photography, crafts and other creative projects, concerts and guided walking tours.

“We’re really looking at cultural immersion, hands-on experiences, workshops, making things. People are looking to get more value to take home with them in terms of learning something, interacting with people, really connecting,” Tomlinson said.

Travelers aren’t seeking out landmarks as much as they are looking for what is unique, she said.

For Regent, unique means a 110-foot long dragon and 41-foot high knight. The Enchanted Highway Foundation is planning a July 4, 2026, grand opening for the new sculptures to coincide with the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Library in Medora, Uecker said. Accompanying them will be a story kiosk to heighten the experience by offering a tale behind the knight and dragon.

Uecker said sculptor Gary Greff is creating more highway sculptures as well, including a spider web.

“All of us on the board want this legacy for Greff and we want the Enchanted Highway to live on for future generations,” Uecker said.

To do so, the foundation developed a financial plan to sustain and maintain the welded sculptures through partnerships with organizations, businesses and families. The goal is to raise $500,000 for an endowment. The board also has developed a new logo and website and revamped a gift shop, adding new merchandise.

State Tourism Director Sara Otte Coleman, said new and improved destination attractions are being developed across the state, including various projects by both MHA Nation at Fort Berthold and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in the Turtle Mountains.

The Good Bear Bay Lodge at Indian Hills near Garrison was completed last year, while Woodlands Resort at Devils Lake broke ground last summer for a new events center. From recreational trails at Medora to improvements at winter ski facilities in the state, the state has invested in helping projects come to fruition.

Sports tourism is the fastest growing travel market, Tomlinson reported.

“We’re looking at spending of nearly $2 trillion by 2030. It generates 10% of all the tourism expenditures,” she said.

Sports tourism encompasses marathon participation, attending family members’ sports tournaments, participating in or watching esports events or following professional and amateur sports teams. Tomlinson said the growth of niche sports, additional sports franchises and expansion of professional leagues are all coming together to create more for everyone.

Coleman said North Dakota is poised for golf tourism with the recent developments at Fox Hills at Watford City and Pheasant Country near Dickinson as well as the presence of other topnotch courses. The Bully Pulpit golf course in Medora recently was named the top public golf course in the United States by USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Also nationally recognized, The Links of North Dakota near Williston has added cabins to its RV park offerings for stay-and-play vacations.

Tourism ranks as one of North Dakota’s largest industries, supporting more than 43,000 jobs and 3,000 businesses, according to the North Dakota Department of Commerce. It has grown into a $5.7 billion industry in the state.