SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Rebounding from a wet 2019 will be one of the biggest topics as the annual South Dakota Governor’s Conference on Tourism takes place in Pierre this week.
Deputy Tourism Secretary Wanda Goodman said rough weather and a tough year for farmers made 2019 a challenge.
“That wave of crazy weather just never really stopped,” Goodman said. “Between all of that and the challenges that presented to the ag industry as well, there was just a lot to contend with.”
Still, Goodman says it hasn’t all been bad news for the state. The full numbers on hotel visits and other indicators aren’t ready to be released yet, but Goodman says they were “better than we expected.”
The conference started Tuesday and runs through Thursday. Its theme is “Great Faces, Great Places,” the tagline the state introduced 30 years ago.
(Mike Tanner, KWAT, contributed to this report.)
