By Todd Epp
May 6, 2021 | 12:23 PM
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO.com) â While the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the tourism industry in other states, South Dakota fared fairly well in 2020.
The South Dakota Department of Tourism says 12.6 million visitors came to the state last year resulting in $3.4 billion in visitor spending.
State Tourism Department Deputy Secretary Wanda Goodman says during National Travel and Tourism Week this week (May 2-8), theyâre highlighting the role tourism plays in bringing back vibrant communities, powering our stateâs economy, and reconnecting America.
Goodman says early indicators are that 2021 will be a busy tourism season.
Goodman says last year visitors generated $276 million in taxes, which provided $780 in tax savings for every household in South Dakota.
This week, South Dakota landmarks will be lit red, the official color of NTTW, to show support for the tourism industry. Landmarks lit red will include the Arc of Dreams and Falls Park in Sioux Falls, The Children’s Museum of South Dakota in Brookings, Crazy Horse Memorial in Custer, The DakotaDome in Vermillion, The World’s Only Corn Palace in Mitchell, Storybook Land Castle in Aberdeen, the spires on Main Street Square in Rapid City and “The Tree of Life” sculpture in Lemmon.
Tourism Department asks hotels, lodges to register in NIDHI starofmysore.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from starofmysore.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.