Next week, May 19-25, is National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW). An industry no one in the Black Hills is a stranger to. But just how much of an impact have we seen? Visit Rapid City recently put together the numbers.
In 2023, 3.8 million people visited Rapid City.
“The travel and tourism industry is a key player in Rapid City’s economy,” said Brook Kaufman, CEO of Visit Rapid City. “It sustains and supports local businesses and brings new money into our city, propelling the vitality of Rapid forward.”
Key statistics for Rapid City from 2023 include:
- Rapid City welcomed 3.8 million visitors in 2023 (increase of .5%; an additional 20,0000 visitors)
- In Rapid City, visitors spent $479 million (up $16.7 million from 2022)
- A total economic impact of $727 million
- Tourism generated 7,452 total jobs in Rapid City (increase of 2.9%)
- In Rapid City, visitors spent the most money on food and beverage ($142 million), lodging ($133 million), recreation ($83.5 million), transportation ($76.4 million) and retail ($9 million)
- In Rapid City, the tourism economy generated $51.4 million in government revenues; without this tax generation, each household in Rapid City would pay an additional $1,640 to replace visitor-generated taxes
- Rapid City’s top markets include South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota and Colorado
“Visitor spending is the highest it’s been in the last five years,” added Kaufman. “Rapid City and our local businesses and industries benefited from a 3.6% growth in total visitor spending over last year, pumping nonresident dollars directly into our economy.”
Statewide, South Dakota also experienced a strong tourism year in 2023, with statistics that include:
- South Dakota welcomed 14.7 million visitors who spent $4.96 billion
- The tourism industry supported 57,835 jobs in South Dakota
- Tourism spending generated $384 million in local and state tax revenue
Visit Rapid City markets and promotes Rapid City through a variety of strategic efforts, including paid advertising, social media, website, content marketing, newsletters, meetings + conventions, sporting events, public relations and more.
About Visit Rapid City:
Visit Rapid City is the official marketing organization for Rapid City and promotes leisure travel, meetings and conventions, and sporting events to Rapid City and the Black Hills area. More information can be found at VisitRapidCity.com.
