Affordable and experiential Regional tourism departments share what they’re expecting in 2023

South Dakota’s tourism department set records in 2019, as 14.5 million people visited the Black Hills, Badlands National Park, Falls Park in Sioux Falls and many sites in between.

The state’s Department of Tourism expected nothing less going into 2020, but we all know what happened next.

COVID-19 canceled vacations and kept people from making grand travel plans, and visitor numbers fell 13% from the previous year, though it was far worse in other parts of the country.

Visitors returned to South Dakota in 2021, as the state became the first in the nation to reach pre-pandemic levels of travel, according to the U.S. Travel Association. By 2022, visitor spending reached a record $4.4 billion, and 14.4 million people visited the state, just shy of the 2019 record.

“We very quickly recovered,” South Dakota Department of Tourism Secretary Jim Hagen said. “Part of that was our great outdoor offerings. The American public just wanted to get outside.”

And South Dakota, with its “open for business” mantra shouted from the rooftops by Gov. Kristi Noem, became a top destination.

Across the country, 2023 is expected to be the year most states

By Michael Klinski

reach pre-pandemic levels of visitors. The pandemic is in the rearview mirror, and people want to travel. Tourism experts in North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota expect a big year.

Though there remains one wrinkle: A sluggish economy is expected to shorten trips and keep people closer to home to save money. All three states are ready and making their pitches to prospective tourists.

From a boom in agritourism to the promotion of unique experiences, here are the trends that the regional experts are seeing heading into the summer travel season:

Economy, inflation could impact length of stays

Visitors to Minnesota can experience the swans at Swan Park in Monticello, the SPAM museum in Austin and the Como Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul all without spending a dime.

Explore Minnesota promotes free things to do in the state on its website, knowing that cost- conscious travelers are looking for activities that won’t break the bank.

It’s especially important this year, experts say, because a down economy, inflation and high gas prices are likely going to affect how people travel.

While a study of 1,000 U.S. adults by Longwood and Miles showed that 52% agree or strongly agree that inflation will affect their travel decisions this summer, 92% said they will travel.

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