The Visitor Beat

Welcome to The Visitor Beat, the monthly newsletter of Experience Sioux Falls. Stay up-to-date on what's going on locally in the travel industry, as well as what's trending nationally. 

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Hunters' Welcome Two Weeks Away

In just a couple of weeks, hundreds of pheasant hunters will be flying into Sioux Falls as they prepare for opening day of the pheasant hunting season. Experience Sioux Falls (ESF) still has a couple of openings for vendors at its annual Hunters’ Welcome event taking place October 16-17 at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport. ESF will be handing out souvenir mugs and cookies to the hunters, in addition to selling merchandise. Vendors have the opportunity to promote their business or organization and sell products to the many people passing by on their way to the baggage claim area.

Motorcoach Industry Driving Economic Impact in Sioux Falls

The motorcoach industry, which within the tourism industry is known as group tours traveling by bus, is starting to wind down its travel season through Sioux Falls. Year-to-date, Experience Sioux Falls (ESF) has welcomed over 70 group tours, with several more expected yet this fall. These tours represent a wide variety of travelers from across the United States and even several international companies. 

These groups, typically ranging from 30 to 50 travelers per motorcoach, stop in Sioux Falls to explore the city; some for one or two nights, and others for only a few hours. ESF supports tour operators by providing sample itineraries for one-day, two-day, and even three-day stays in the area. These customized plans help ensure travelers make the most of their time in the city, while spreading their economic footprint across a wider range of local businesses.

The motorcoach industry is very beneficial to the local economy due to the number of businesses that are positively affected by it in terms of people through the doors and dollars spent. A single motorcoach tour can impact 20 or more local businesses, including attractions, restaurants, shops, and hotels. Each group has differing interests, but a typical itinerary includes visits to places like this and more:

• Falls Park
• SculptureWalk and Downtown Sioux Falls
• Old Courthouse Museum
• Pettigrew Home & Museum
• USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial
• McCrossan Boys Ranch
• Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
• Good Earth State Park
• Washington Pavilion

Tourism Advocacy Webinar: Tourism Coalition of South Dakota

Southeast South Dakota Tourism Association will be holding a free webinar on October 22 featuring Tourism Coalition of South Dakota (TCSD) Executive Director, Carmen Schramm. Carmen will explain why a unified voice is more critical than ever, describing how the organization evolved from its origins to its recently expanded focus. You'll learn about their new initiatives, including a legislative toolkit, roundtables with our national delegates, as well as efforts at the South Dakota Governor’s Conference on Tourism, and the upcoming legislative session. 

Carmen has an extensive level of experience within the industry over the course of her career, and she has served on the Governor’s Tourism Advisory Board since 2014.

TCSD was formed by the visitor industry to have a united front and be recognized during the lawmaking process as the statewide advocate for the visitor industry.

MarketBeat Open Returns

The MarketBeat Open will return to Huether Family Match Pointe October 19-26. This ATP Challenger Tour tournament is set to bring 32 of the best men’s professional tennis players in the world to compete on the court. After a successful inaugural year in 2024, the MarketBeat Open aims to build on that momentum with this year’s event being upgraded from an ATP 75 to an ATP 100 tournament, which awards more ranking points to the winner.