April 17, 2025

This piece is sponsored by Experience Sioux Falls.

Get ready to celebrate the tourism industry.

Experience Sioux Falls, the destination marketing organization for Sioux Falls, will mark National Travel and Tourism Week in May with a popular annual event.

Jason Hewlett will be the featured speaker at the annual Visitor Industry Luncheon  set for 11:30 a.m. May 13 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.

Hewlett is the world’s only keynote speaker utilizing entertainment, musical impressions and comedy to identify a person’s signature moves, clarify the strengths of those we lead and magnify the promise to share your legendary voice.

The annual Visitor Industry Awards also will be presented at the luncheon. Six awards will be presented in the categories of Business, Heart of the City and First Impressions of those working in Sioux Falls attractions, hotels, restaurants, retail, air service and more.

“Sioux Falls is filled with amazing individuals and businesses that stand out because of their customer service and overall hospitality. These awards are our way of shining a spotlight on those that deserve to be recognized,” said Teri Schmidt, CEO of Experience Sioux Falls.

Experience Sioux Falls estimates that visitors spent over $309 million in the community in 2024. This number reflects only those visitors the organization could actually count. Thousands of additional visitors come and go for everything from events to family gatherings, sports tournaments, medical appointments, corporate meetings, shopping and dining, and vacationing, but Experience Sioux Falls has no way to count them as they generate thousands of dollars and additional sales tax for the city. Without tourism, each household in the state would need to be taxed an additional $1,105 to replace the visitor taxes that state and local governments receive.

The Sioux Falls visitor industry continued to grow in 2024. According to Tourism Economics, the Southeast region of South Dakota, which includes Sioux Falls, saw significant growth in visitor spending – at a rate of 4.5 percent, which totaled 40.2 percent of the growth in all of South Dakota.

The Black Hills & Badlands region grew 2.4 percent, while Glacial Lakes & Prairies and the Missouri River regions each grew 0.2 percent. This level of growth in the Sioux Falls region doesn’t just happen — hundreds of people work together to make this a reality.

“Along with Experience Sioux Falls, whose mission is to sell the city as the perfect destination for individuals and groups of all sizes, many hotels, restaurants, attractions, events and others focus on letting the world know Sioux Falls is the place to be,” Schmidt said.

“We are fortunate everyone works together so well to make Sioux Falls a No. 1 host city!”

Learn more about the Visitor Industry Luncheon and purchase tickets.

Do you know of someone or a business that excels in one of the award categories? Submit a nomination before the April 25 deadline.