SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO.com) — A wet summer had a major impact on South Dakota’s economy, from agriculture to tourism.
Jim Hagen, who heads South Dakota’s Department of Tourism, says bad weather affected the state right away this spring.
“It seemed like it was raining every day, every week,” Hagen said. “Tornadoes, flooding like crazy. So the season started off tough.”
Hagen said some campgrounds and recreation areas in the Black Hills didn’t open for the season because of the rough spring.
Despite those challenges, Hagen says he came away from a meeting with industry leaders confident about how the state handled things.
“I’m happier today than I thought I would be when the season started,” Hagen said. “Overall visitation is up a notch or two, which is good news, and it sounds like when visitors were here they were spending at a higher clip.”
Mike Tanner, KWAT Radio News, contributed to this report.
