South Dakota had a record number of visitors in 2009, according to a Global Insight study released Thursday evening at the 2010 annual Governor’s Tourism Conference in Pierre.
South Dakota bucked national tourism trends with a 1.2 percent increase in visitor numbers last year. While South Dakota saw an increase in 2009, travel experts indicate the nation had a more than 7 percent drop in tourism.
“South Dakota’s visitor industry should be very proud,” said Gov. Mike Rounds. “While most states are seeing visitor numbers decline, we’ve positioned ourselves as an affordable, yet premier travel destination.”
South Dakota was able to use the national recession as a window of opportunity to secure a larger market share, the Governor said.
“In the face of the economic downturn, the state’s decision to invest in tourism marketing paid off,” Gov. Rounds continued. “South Dakota’s tourism industry is helping stabilize our state’s economy.”
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While the recession has weakened sales tax revenues and other state tax collections, things would have been much worse for the state without a good year for tourism, the Governor added.
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