Each of South Dakota’s four tourism regions showed an increase in visitor spending in 2024, but just barely so in two of them. That’s according to a recent, detailed analysis of visitor spending in the state conducted by Tourism Economics.
Both the Missouri River and Glacial Lakes & Prairies regions saw 0.2% growth in visitor spending. The Black Hills and Badlands region showed 2.4% growth, while the Southeast region saw a 4.5% increase.
Total visitor spending in South Dakota in 2024 reached a record high of $5.09 billion, a 2.8% increase compared to 2023. The data shows that visitor spending continues to grow, positively affecting every county in South Dakota through taxable sales, job creation, and wages.
The top 10 counties with annual growth were:
- Potter (12.3%),
- Ziebach (12%),
- Turner (11.1%),
- Mellette (9.5%),
- Deuel (7.1%),
- Clark (6.8%),
- Custer (6.2%),
- Day (6%),
- Douglas (5.9%) and
- Roberts (5.7%).
Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism Jim Hagen said the regionally diverse growth highlights how tourism benefits counties of all sizes, including rural areas and larger travel hubs. He said the diversity in location demonstrates how eager visitors are to experience every corner of the state.
Governor Larry Rhoden said tourism supported more than 58,000 jobs for South Dakotans and provided $2.2 billion in household income to those families in 2024.
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