2020 was not an easy year for the tourism industry, and that's putting it mildly.

Governor Kristi Noem, along with South Dakota Secretary of Tourism Jim Hagen released last year's tourism numbers this week. While the results were down from last year, the Mount Rushmore state was in much better shape compared to others.

According to Dakota News Now, last year, the state saw 12.6 million visitors, which was down from 2019 by about 13%. While 13% is a significant slip for the tourism industry and the state's economy as a whole, things turned out far better than some initial projections back when the pandemic first began. Also, South Dakota suffered much less than some other states that rely on tourism to a big part of their economies.

The numbers also show that the state saw $3.4 billion spent by tourists in the state last year. That number is also down from the year before by 18%. Comparing that to the nationwide money spent by visitors, South Dakota again fared better than many other states. Across the country, tourism spending was down 45% from 2019.

Governor Noem says that despite all that happened last year, South Dakota remained in good shape.

South Dakota’s tourism industry faced many challenges in 2020. They adapted and turned it into an incredible year. Because of their efforts, we were able to put more than 3 billion dollars into South Dakota’s economy and set the state up for a very bright future.

-Governor Noem, Dakota News Now

For more information on this story, view the full article on Dakota News Now.

Story Source: Dakota News Now

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