Travel South Dakota Celebrates National Travel and Tourism Week


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wed., April 30, 2025
CONTACT: Katlyn Svendsen, Global Public Relations & Content Services Senior Director, Travel South Dakota

 

Travel South Dakota Celebrates National Travel and Tourism Week

 

PIERRE S.D. – Travel South Dakota is proud to join the U.S. Travel Association and communities across the country in celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), taking place May 4-10, 2025. This year’s theme, “Travel Powers Economies and Communities,” highlights how travel and tourism are essential to fueling prosperity, cultivating vibrant communities, and creating opportunities across America, including right here in South Dakota.

 

NTTW recognizes the industry's role in keeping our communities vibrant while acknowledging that travel serves as a local & global economic driver that provides workforce opportunities.

 

There are plenty of reasons to celebrate NTTW this year. In 2024, South Dakota welcomed 14.9 million visitors who spent a record-setting $5.09 billion. As one of South Dakota’s leading industries, tourism fuels local businesses while generating state and local tax revenue. Tourism supports 58,000 jobs across South Dakota.

 

“South Dakota is such a wonderful state that millions of visitors come every year to see it for themselves. And who can blame them? There’s something here for everyone in all seasons of the year,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “The data behind our travel industry is powerful, but it wouldn’t be possible without the smiling “Great Faces” behind checkout counters, giving tours, and sweating the small details so that our visitors don’t have to.”

 

To commemorate NTTW, notable landmarks across South Dakota will be illuminated in red, the official color of the tourism industry, symbolizing collective support for the power of travel.

 

Participating landmarks include:

 

  • Granite Springs Lodge, Alexandria
  • Mama T. Rex and the Children's Museum of South Dakota, Brookings
  • McCrory Gardens, Brookings
  • The Mammoth Site’s “Digger” statue, Hot Springs
  • Gaylen's Popcorn, Madison (May 4–8)
  • The Farr House, Pierre
  • Main Street Square, Rapid City
  • The Warrior Hotel, Sioux City
  • Arc of Dreams, Sioux Falls
  • ClubHouse Hotel & Suites, Sioux Falls
  • Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, Sioux Falls
  • Falls Park, Sioux Falls
  • Sioux Falls Regional Airport parking garage, Sioux Falls
  • The South Dakota Military Heritage Alliance, Sioux Falls
  • The Steel District (“Currents” art installation), Sioux Falls
  • Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls
  • D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery, Spearfish
  • High Plains Western Heritage Center, Spearfish
  • Matthews Opera House (stage lights), Spearfish
  • Woodburn Theatre, Spearfish
  • The Buffalo Chip, Sturgis
  • DakotaDome, Vermillion
  • Sanford Coyote Sports Center, Vermillion
  • Bramble Park Zoo, Watertown
  • Codington County Heritage Museum, Watertown
  • Dakota Sioux Casino & Hotel, Watertown
  • Goss Opera House, Watertown
  • Mellette House, Watertown
  • The Redlin Art Center, Watertown

 

Created by Congress in 1983, National Travel and Tourism Week is an annual acknowledgment of the impact of travel on states, regions, cities, and the entire United States. During the first full week in May each year, communities nationwide unite to showcase the impact of travel.

 

For more information on National Travel & Tourism Week in South Dakota, see SDVisit.com.

 

The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Travel South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.

 

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