Post-pandemic, Sioux Falls tourism once again thriving

Overall visitor spending across South Dakota also up in 2022

(Experience Sioux Falls)

Americans have put the COVID-19 pandemic in the rearview mirror, and that’s spelling big business for the Sioux Falls-area visitor and tourism industry.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism’s recent release of its 2022 tourism report shows more than 14 million people visited the state last year, spending nearly $5 billion while seeing the sights, staying at hotels and dining out.

And while the Black Hills region has enjoyed strong tourism levels throughout the pandemic, the visits to the eastern side of the state had fallen off. But that’s not the case anymore. For the first time since 2019, the southeast region of South Dakota outpaced its west river counterpart in visitor spending.

NEWS: Baseball legend Pete Rose to headline law enforcement dinner