MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- High gas prices may keep some people closer to home during the upcoming vacation season. And that's just fine with Minnesota's tourism industry.

A "More to Explore" radio ad campaign -- just launched by the state's tourism office -- was in the works long before we knew how high gas prices would be this spring.

But tourism director Chuck Lennon says that will only add to the appeal of a Minnesota vacation.

"Our marketplace is kind of a 13-state 'rubber tire' geographical area, so while people are driving and the gas prices are seeping up we're kind of a close-by destination," he said.

Tourism is an $11 billion industry in Minnesota, accounting for 11 percent of all private sector jobs.