South Dakota was recently named the ‘Most Promising Destination’ by a Chinese tourism group.
Over the past seven years, the South Dakota Department of Tourism said the state has seen a steady increase of Chinese visitors thanks to a new marketing campaign.
While much of that campaign focuses on monuments, memorials and old west themes frequently seen on the west side of the state, east river tourist destinations like Falls Park and the Corn Palace are also seeing the benefits from a boost in international visitors.
“We get a lot of people going to the Hills, that stop here, stretch their legs, get out and enjoy the park, maybe have something to eat,” Martha Archer with the Falls Park gift shop said.
“It truly is a very big part of Mitchell’s economy and a very big part of South Dakota’s economy,” Nick Bakhtiari with the Mitchell Corn Palace said.
Visitors spent $3.88 billion during last year’s tourism season, generating nearly 300 million tax dollars for the state of South Dakota.
“Even this last month we’ve had visitors from Canada, Finland, England, Germany, the Czech Republic, we get them from all over the world,” Archer said.
“It’s very nice to see that there are people literally from all over the world that want to come and see us,” Bakhtiari said.
The state Department of Tourism said they’re emphasizing marketing efforts on China, because Chinese visitors will soon be traveling to the U.S. more than any other country.
Part of the state’s plan to increase the number of Chinese tourists includes launching more tour routes and targeting tourist interested in road trip vacations.