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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2025 Visitor Industry Awards Presented at Experience Sioux Falls Annual Luncheon

Last month, Experience Sioux Falls celebrated the visitor industry with the community during the annual Visitor Industry Luncheon where the 2025 Visitor Industry Awards were presented to the following individuals and businesses for the extraordinary impact they have on the visitor industry.

First Impression Awards:
Recognizes an employee who comes in direct contact with visitors and consistently provides extraordinary customer service.

• First Impression – Attraction Award: Sarah Burman, McCrossan Boys Ranch
• First Impression – Hotel Award: Cindy Schieck, Best Western Plus Ramkota Hotel
• First Impression – Restaurant Award: Deb Cooper, Minervas
• First Impression – Retail Award: Jade Sandersfeld, Hertz Rent-a-Car

Business Award:
Recognizes an individual, business, or organization in the visitor industry who exemplifies innovation, creates impact, and causes our region to shine as a visitor destination.

• Sanford Sports Complex

Heart of the City Award:
Recognizes a person or organization who has made a significant contribution to the visitor industry through inspiration, spirit, and excellent leadership.

• Levitt at the Falls

2025 Star Award:
Recognizes a person, group, or business that has had a dream, created the vision, and completed that dream, all for the community and those near and far.

• Lloyd Companies and The Steel District

American Jump Rope Federation National Championship

Approximately 170 of the best jumpers in the country will be in Sioux Falls for the American Jump Rope Federation National Championship taking place June 30 – July 3 at the Elmen Center on the campus of Augustana University. The athletes competing in this Championship event are of a wide range of ages that will be performing every type of jump that you can imagine like singles, doubles, double dutch, and many more unique stunts.

The American Jump Rope Federation National Championship is open to the public for spectating. Ticket information and a schedule of events are forthcoming. Visit amjrf.com for updates.

Hosting this event has been nearly a year and a half in the making, with Experience Sioux Falls making initial outreach in February 2024 and then getting many different partners on board to help make it a reality. Read more about the process to land this event in Sioux Falls.

2026 Visitor Guide Advertising Sales

Advertising sales are underway for the 2026 Official Sioux Falls Visitor Guide. Experience Sioux Falls is working with Flynn Wright to produce the guide, with Laura Arnett as the point-of-contact for advertising. With an office in Downtown Sioux Falls, Laura is easily accessible for in-person meetings or via phone/email.

With tens of thousands of guides distributed to potential travelers around the country and also widely distributed throughout Sioux Falls, this is a great opportunity to get your business in front of people who are looking to spend their money.

Happy 605 Day

As one of only several states with just one area code, South Dakotans celebrate June 5 (6/05) as ‘605 Day.’ Travel South Dakota’s Forever 605 campaign inspires citizens and visitors to respect the 605 State as much as they adore it, and on 605 Day people are encouraged to embrace the opportunity to celebrate and appreciate the beauty of the state.

Tag Experience Sioux Falls on social media (@experiencesfsd) with photos of how you’ll be celebrating 605 Day.

New Merchandise at the Falls Park Visitor Information Center

The Falls Park Visitor Information Center has fun, new merchandise just in time for summer travel. New items include shirt designs, a camper-style mug, and more—plus favorites like postcards, keychains, magnets, and kids’ toys.

Current hours for the Falls Park Visitor Information Center are 9am-9pm daily.

Events Calendar

Do you have an event that visitors to Sioux Falls might enjoy? Submit it to ExperienceSiouxFalls.com/Events. As we get into the summer travel season, visitors are paying close attention to the events calendar as they look for experiences to enhance their trip. The Events page on Experience Sioux Falls’ website is one of the top visited pages on the site each month, so don’t miss out on getting your event in front of visitors.