The purpose of the luncheon was to gather community stakeholders to share information about the upcoming tourist season.

New Ulm Chamber President Sarah Warmka opened the luncheon with statistics gathered from the previous year. In Minnesota, tourism had a $24.7 billion economic impact on the state.

Warmka said that, in terms of taxes generated, each Minnesota household pays $1,031 in state and local taxes due to tourism.

Recently, the city of New Ulm entered into a subscription with Placer.ai, a software that takes passive cellphone data that can be used to track visitors to the community. The NU Chamber was able to use the software to gain accurate counts of how many people are visiting the community.

Mayor Kathleen Backer said during the 2026 New Ulm Tourism Luncheon that throughout Minnesota, the New Ulm community is held up as an icon of activity. “We have so much going on and I give credit to the organizations, businesses and the individuals who make it possible,” she said. Photo by Clay Schuldt

According to the data, in the last 12 months, there have been 214,400 trips of 50 miles or more to New Ulm with $19.1 million spent in New Ulm from visitors. This is up from $18 million last year.

Of the $19.1 million spent in New Ulm, $7.2 million is in hotel stays, $2.6 million in retail sales and $1.4 million at restaurants.

On the rental side, Best Western Plus general manager Bobbi Fuhr said the lodging business was doing well in New Ulm. She said the events are bringing many large groups to New Ulm. She said 2025 was a strong year and 2026 is in line with that.

Fuhr said some of the recent construction projects have driven up hotel rentals. This includes construction workers who worked on the Walmart remodel as well as the new workers for the Highland apartment building project.

Morja Hauenstein runs a vacation rental property out of the old Hauenstein Brewery. She said the property is booked every weekend, even through the winter. From May through Oktoberfest they are typically booked even in midweek.

Michael Pennant spoke at Wednesday’s Tourism Luncheon, briefly discussing his intention to open family entertainment center in the former Target building. Pennant said the plan in still in the financing stage, but if everything goes as planned it could open as earlier as October. Photo by Clay Schuldt

Char Reinhart-Kalk, owner of multiple short-term rental properties, said guests consistently commented that there is so much to do in New Ulm that they need to come back. She said that was thanks to all the tourism businesses.

For entertainment, State Street Theater Executive Director Lorie Jewell promoted the theater’s upcoming production “A Life for the Revolution,” which is a play based on the true story of Ludwig Bogen and how he immigrated from Germany to New Ulm.

“It is an opportunity to tell our story,” Jewell said, “a historic story of New Ulm.”

Brown County Historical Society (BCHS) executive director Amy Johnson said the museum has seen increased attendance due to the new Wanda Gág exhibit, as well as the exhibit of Capt. Willbald Bianchi.

The Kiesling House will be open Friday and Saturday, Memorial Day through Labor Day. The BCHS Popcorn Wagon will debut for the season on Saturday, May 23. The Lunch and a Bite program will begin at noon Thursday, May 14. Erich Becker, writer of the play “Life for the Revolution,” will give a talk on the political upheaval in Germany that is at the center of his play.

Wanda Gág House curator Alexander Roth said, in addition to the Wanda Gág exhibit at the BCHS, the Wanda Gág House on May 16, a new exhibit will open featuring the original story boards for her book “Gone is Gone.”

John Kellen, executive director of The Grand, said repairs to the art center’s back deck have been completed. In June, live music will be held on the deck. In addition, The Grand launched a matting and framing studio to help artists. Kellen said properly framing work is often a barrier to artists promoting and selling their work.

John Kass from the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame (MMHF) said in the last year, social media has played a larger role in bringing in visitors than typical internet search engines. Some of the guests are international visitors. He said they received one visitor from New Zealand.

“We’re getting people from all over,” he said.

Brown County Free Fair board president Anna De St. Croix said on average, 30,000 people come through the fair every year. Most of these people are from Brown County, but some visitors are from out of state.

De St. Croix said the Brown County Fair is unique in the state for being one of the few fairs located inside town and it is a free fair.

“A lot of fairs have gotten to the point where they have to charge admission to enter,” she said. “We’re very lucky and want to continue to offer a free fair and that is only possible with help from our sponsors and donors.”

The Brown County Fairgrounds has finalized adding campsites and is currently at over 60 campsites, offered year-round. Reservations for the campsite can be made online.

Brie Taralson of Ulm Sweet Ulm gave an update on the business. In addition to Lykke Books and NU Brew Cafe, the building has recently launched a bike repair shop on the basement level. Taralson said they are looking into adding a rental fleet of bikes, but this is still in the works.

Michael Pennant received a round of applause when he told the group he planned to bring a family entertainment center to the former Target building. He said the plan in still in the financing stage, but if everything goes as planned, it could open as early as October.

Ann Wendinger with Sewing Seeds Quilt Company shared that last week a tour bus with 54 visitors from Wisconsin came to the quilt store.

Wendinger said none of the 54 visitors had ever been to New Ulm before. Sewing Seeds invited the bus to travel downtown. A few days later, they received a call that five of the guests on the bus were planning to return to New Ulm for a longer stay.

“The little things we do make a huge impact,” Wendinger said. “We are all in it together for the benefit of all of us.”

Warmka closed the luncheon with an update on the 2026 Oktoberfest. She said the downtown musical entertainment will be a German band. They are also working with Nuvera to set up an interactive portal installation that allows people in different cities to interact using two 24-hour live streaming video screens. The New Ulm portal would be connected to a portal in the city square of Ulm, Germany.

Warmka said the Chamber has launched a new website at newulm.com/welcome. The website includes a link to a calendar listing conventions, tournaments and reunions occurring in New Ulm.

A common story shared during the luncheon was how easy it is to promote New Ulm across the state.

Mayor Kathleen Backer said that when attending conferences in other communities, she is frequently told she is fortunate to be from New Ulm.

Backer said that throughout Minnesota, New Ulm is held as an “icon” for all that happens in the community.

“They talk about all the activities, whether it is tournaments, shopping, concerts, performances, or festivals,” Backer said. “We have so much going on and I give credit to the organizations, businesses and the individuals who make it possible.”

Former NU Chamber Tourism Manager and former New Ulm Mayor Terry Sveine confirmed that other communities spoke highly of New Ulm.

“I went to all these conferences and people would say, ‘I wish I had your job, New Ulm is so easy to promote,’ and it is the truth,” Sveine said. “Let’s keep doing what we are doing because it is working.”