May 20, 2024

It’s a repeat.

For the second consecutive year, southeast South Dakota has led the state in visitor spending.

“It’s close, but it’s true,” said Teri Schmidt, CEO of Experience Sioux Falls.

The southeast region represented 39.5 percent of statewide spending in 2023, edging out the Black Hills region at 38.6 percent, according to Tourism Economics, a firm that compiled the data for the South Dakota Department of Tourism, known as Travel South Dakota.

At a county level, Minnehaha County made up the largest share of visitor spending at 29.3 percent, followed by Pennington County at 19.3 percent.

“I think it’s really a reflection of what’s going on in Sioux Falls,” Schmidt said. “Our office alone does way more social media and way more advertising every year. We have to continue to be creative, and our reach has to be stronger every year.”

But can it continue? Jim Hagen, secretary of Travel South Dakota, is optimistic.

“We’re feeling excited about this peak season,” he said. “Ninety-three percent of Americans say they’re definitely traveling within the next six months.”

One in four of those say they are concerned about their financial situation or the country’s financial situation, though.

“My guess is they might be a little careful about discretionary spending,” Hagen said. “But when you look at how our airlines are doing and looking at some of our advanced reservations, things are looking pretty strong.”

Gas prices are not causing concern among travelers yet, he said.

The state is using its Passport program to connect local travelers with destinations across South Dakota, giving them a mobile way to find more under-the-radar attractions and plan road trips.

“Our first-ever winter campaign performed very well, and we’re excited to continue to grow that along with the fall shoulder season,” Hagen added.

In Sioux Falls, the appeal for visitors comes in how its attractions always are changing, Schmidt said. Every year, there are new sculptures for SculptureWalk, new concerts at the Levitt and new exhibits at the Great Plains Zoo and Washington Pavilion.

“That’s what so exciting for Sioux Falls,” she said. “All those things go in the bucket and make people want to come back here.”

This June also will bring a major, first-of-its-kind youth soccer tournament in the President’s Cup, which will be June 14-17 at Yankton Trail Park and is estimated to draw 6,000 visitors. They’re already booking hotels as far away as Brookings and Sioux City, Schmidt said.

In between games, “they go to movies so the teams can rest, they go shopping, they bring them downtown and walk Phillips Avenue and take them to Falls Park for team pictures,” she said. “They’re all over the place, and then they’ve got to eat. So it’s good stuff.”

There’s a high bar to beat from last year when visitor spending increased 5.2 percent, or almost $100 million, in southeast South Dakota. Four in 10 tourism-supported jobs are in the southeast region.

“There’s no question the southeast continues to blossom in an amazing way,” Hagen said. “And it’s very close (with western South Dakota), which is exciting to see.”