Courtesy of KJAM Radio
Visitor spending in the state reached more than three-point-eight billion dollars in 2017. It is the eighth straight year of record growth in the state. A recent analysis shows that more than half of the counties in the state saw an increase in visitor spending over 2016.
The detailed analysis, done by Tourism Economics, indicates a majority of visitor activity took place in Minnehaha, Pennington, Lawrence, Brown and Custer counties, making up 66 percent of all visitor spending. While these five counties received the majority of spending from visitors in 2017, more than half of the counties in the state saw an increase over 2016. The counties that experienced the largest year-over-year growth were Sully County with eight-point-seven percent, Lincoln with five-point-nine-percent, Hutchinson with five-point-two-percent, and Lake County with five-point-one-percent.
State Tourism Secretary James Hagen said that the impact that visitors have on communities across the state is significant. He said that despite local and regional challenges, visitors return year after year to experience what the state has to offer.
A copy of the full Tourism Economics County and Region Level Impact Report can be found on the state’s website http://www.sdvisit.com/.