Seals swimming in the streets and buckled roads were the images coming from Duluth in June, when heavy rain caused major flooding in parts of the city.
And even though the initial reaction was a spate of cancellations from would-be visitors, the city's tourism economy managed to recover for an overall increase from the previous year.
The Duluth News Tribune reports:
Local sales tax collections indicate Duluth’s hotels and motels took in 6.3 percent more revenue than they did in 2011. Meanwhile, food and beverage sales rose 4.4 percent in 2012, compared with the previous year.
Credit for that goes to the city and the hospitality industry, for mounting a vigorous public relations and marketing effort after the flooding.
Not all places recovered as quickly: The Grandma's restaurant at Miller Hill mall suffered major water damage and was closed for more than six weeks.
Still, officials said the year-over-year growth, even with flood, was a testimony to the stability of the city's tourism business.