South Dakota Tourism Season Not Over Just Dialing Back

As school sessions begin, opportunities decrease for families to take vacation.  Teri Schmidt Executive Director of the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitor’s Bureau says there is a secondary market in the fall.  

That weekly routine of school is a welcome change for some, but for Schmidt whose job is to draw people to town she has to strive a bit more this time of year.  “As soon as school starts people kind of settle back in.”  Some people will travel around the Labor Day weekend or take their kids to the lake.

If you want to describe the sweet spot of tourism for Sioux Falls, Schmidt says it’s earlier than you think.  “We usually say that our real tourism season is April 1 through October 1.

Schmidt does reveal that other vacationers will come to the area once the leaves start turning color.  They don’t come in massive numbers, but the Senior Citizens will start circulating through the area.  The mind set for that group according to Schmidt is crowd avoidance and they gravitate toward Sioux Falls in October.