May 25, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Experience Sioux Falls.

After the eighth snowiest winter on record and a short spring, summer will be ushered in with strong expectations of travel over Memorial Day weekend.

The S&P Global/AAA Report forecasts 42.3 million travelers are expected over the holiday weekend around the country, an increase of 7 percent from last year, reaching 99 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

“As soon as the snow was gone, marketing for summer travel began,” said Krista Orsack, Experience Sioux Falls director of marketing.

“Creatively, our concepts this year are meant to drive intrigue through ways you can experience Sioux Falls differently. This includes showing potential visitors vivid imagery and using video storytelling to make an instant and lasting impression.”

Target audiences in geolocated markets are more likely to seek “different” experiences, affordable adventures, live events and concerts, and outdoor recreation.

And an integrated approach ensures cohesive messaging across strategic marketing channels, creating a seamless and consumer-centric experience.

New partnerships this year include Gray Media and Carvertise. Gray Media includes television commercials and native website content in Rapid City; Fargo; Omaha; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Rochester, Minnesota.

Carvertise is wrapping Uber and Lyft vehicles with ESF creative in Omaha, Minneapolis and Chicago, along with distributing a printed promotional piece to riders. Specific events such as Taylor Swift concerts, Minnesota Twins games and the College World Series also are being targeted by having the wrapped vehicles on location.

New visitor arrival and spending data is being tracked through a partnership with a destination operating system called Zartico, which gives ESF the ability to track where in Sioux Falls visitors are going. This information helps to support data-driven decisions in real time.

Tourism officials expect to see a busy summer travel season as word spreads about all the new and exciting things happening not only in Sioux Falls but also in South Dakota as a whole. While Experience Sioux Falls knows that its marketing isn’t the sole reason why visitors choose to come to Sioux Falls, the hope is that it will at least play a role in the travel-making decision.

“We want visitors from near and far to know you can create memorable moments for the first time right here in Sioux Falls, time and time again,” Orsack said.

Tourism outlook: State, local leaders anticipate strong summer ahead