JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The North Dakota Department of Commerce announced that a total of $1 million was awarded to five projects through the 2021 Tourism Planning Grant.

The 2021 Tourism Planning Grant appropriated by the legislature, is intended to support professional planning for tourism developers who have a destination project that would have the ability to attract visitors from outside North Dakota and retain them for at least four to six hours and preferably an overnight stay-in or near the community.

“North Dakota has ample opportunities to expand tourism experiences that enhance the quality of life for residents and attract visitors,” Commerce Tourism and Marketing Director Sara Otte Coleman said. “We expect the plans developed, will provide insight for future attractions that will be a driving force in boosting our economy by creating more entertainment and recreation attractions.”

The Bison World project, located in Jamestown, was awarded $400,000 for a comprehensive plan to support design and planning that will allow for construction to begin. The proposal for Bison World includes building an attraction that focuses on the history of the bison with a planned interpretive center, discovery center, children’s corral, dakota lands pavilion, gondola and amphitheater.

The theme park project will transform 30 acres of unused land belonging to the North Dakota State Hospital into a tourism gateway for North Dakota.