Jan. 21, 2022

Visitor spending in South Dakota set an all-time record in 2021.

According to the annual study conducted by Tourism Economics, visitors to South Dakota spent $4.4 billion, an increase of 30 percent over 2020. The percentage increase surpasses all previous records. South Dakota was officially the first state to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels of visitor spending, according to the state Department of Tourism.

South Dakota also drew an estimated 13.5 million visitors, an increase of 26 percent over 2020.

“South Dakota’s tourism industry stayed open for business and open for visitors, working tirelessly to support millions of visitors who chose South Dakota as their vacation destination,” Gov. Kristi Noem said in a statement. “Their record-breaking efforts have contributed to our state’s record revenues, jump-starting our state’s economy to make it the strongest in the nation.”

The tourism industry supports an estimated 54,208 jobs in South Dakota, which generated $1.8 billion in income for those households.

“Tourism in South Dakota is a job-creating, revenue-generating machine that plays a vital role in supporting the state’s economy year after year,” Tourism Secretary Jim Hagen said. “It’s not just valuable for the state of South Dakota — these efforts impact communities and families throughout our state.”

In 2021, tourism generated $344 million in state and local tax revenue.

The data was released as part of the industry’s annual statewide conference, which also included recognizing several industry leaders.

The Rooster Rush Cacklin’ Community Award was presented to Aberdeen for the community’s marketing tactics, community involvement and hospitality focused on boosting the pheasant hunting experience in South Dakota.

“Aberdeen welcomed hunters with an inaugural Pheasant Phestival Pup Crawl, even raising money for their area humane society. They greeted visitors at the airport with blaze-orange goodie bags and iconic pheasant sandwiches,” Hagen said.

The Ben Black Elk Award recognizes an individual who makes outstanding contributions to the state’s visitor industry. This year’s award was given to Jan Grunewaldt of Regency Hotel Management in Sioux Falls and Karen Kern, formerly with the South Dakota Missouri River Tourism Association in Pierre.

“Jan has done anything and everything to make visitors’ experiences the best they can be. Her above-and-beyond mentality makes a difference with everyone she encounters,” Hagen said. “Karen has been an instrumental contributor to the success story of tourism in South Dakota, especially along the Missouri River and for tribal tourism. She has been a true champion of the South Dakota tourism industry for 36 years.”

The Ruth Ziolkowski Outstanding Hospitality & Customer Service Award is given annually to four industry members, each representing a tourism region of South Dakota. This award recognizes tourism industry professionals who provide remarkable service to visitors and whose work demonstrates an outstanding spirit of hospitality. These awards were given to Jeff Oldham from Reptile Gardens of Rapid City, Prudy Calvin from the Mellette House in Watertown, Wanda Bunker from the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center of Chamberlain and Bruce Cull from the National Field Archery Association in Yankton.

“Across every region of South Dakota, it’s folks like these that are the rock of the tourism industry,” Hagen said. “Every day they show up. They pour their hearts into their careers, and they embody the hospitality that South Dakota is known for.”

The Governor’s Tourism Rising Star Award – an award new to the conference – was presented to Sarah Kills In Water of Mission. This award recognizes an individual who has worked in the tourism industry for two to four years and is excelling in their career, showing a bright future in the tourism industry.

“Sarah has been vital in bringing tourism and economic development to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe through grant writing, networking and collaborative thinking,” Hagen said. “She is working hard to establish tourism in Rosebud, and everybody who works with her loves her positivity and can-do attitude.”

The George S. Mickelson Award went to AmericInn by Wyndham in Belle Fourche. This award honors businesses, communities or organizations that have done an exemplary job of customer service and exceeding visitor expectations.

Rushmore Tramway Adventures of Keystone was awarded the Peter Norbeck Excellence in Tourism Innovation Award, which is given to an industry partner for innovative thinking in making a destination, business or attraction even more appealing to visitors.

The A.H. Pankow Award recognizes a representative of the media for showing superior interest in and coverage of South Dakota’s tourism industry. This year’s award went to NewsCenter1 in Rapid City for its continued coverage of the tourism industry, especially in the Black Hills, and its attention to the economic impact that tourism has on South Dakota.