Interest in rural areas, slow travel trend make South Dakota a perfect destination for tourists

January 30, 2025:

From music to vehicles to fashion, trends come and go and the same can be said for the tourism industry.

South Dakota Department of Tourism Secretary Jim Hagen says they’re seeing an uptick in the number of people that want to travel slowly and experience, what he refers to as JOMO– or the joy of missing out.

Hagen says South Dakota is a “road trip destination.”

Hagen says achieving higher visitor numbers year-after-year is nice, but that’s not Travel South Dakota’s ultimate objective.

To assist visitors with finding some of South Dakota’s more rural attractions, Hagen says the Tourism Department has a variety of different “passports” people can sign up for on their mobile devices.

Hagen says tourism supports almost 59,000 jobs (58,824), generating $2.24 billion in income for those workers and nearly $400 million ($398.7 million) in state and local tax revenue. He says that breaks down to saving South Dakota households $1,105 per year in tax payments.

To view the full 2024 Tourism Economics report, visit SDVisit.com.

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January 22, 2025:

South Dakota’s tourism industry saw another record breaking year in 2024.

South Dakota Department of Tourism Secretary Jim Hagen says their annual study– conducted by Tourism Economics– showed the state increasing in visitor numbers and visitor spending when compared to 2023.

Hagen says tourism supports almost 59,000 jobs (58,824), generating $2.24 billion in income for those workers and nearly $400 million ($398.7 million) in state and local tax revenue. He says that breaks down to saving South Dakota households $1,105 per year in tax payments.

Hagen says Travel South Dakota’s target markets have remained fairly consistent the past few years.

Hagen says 8.7 million visitors went to South Dakota’s state parks; 3.8 million visitors explored national parks; and visitors booked 5.2 million hotel room nights in 2024.

To view the full 2024 Tourism Economics report, visit SDVisit.com.