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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2026 Visitor Guide Advertising Sales

Don’t miss your chance to get your business in front of tens of thousands of potential travelers. The 2026 Official Sioux Falls Visitor Guide has been a go-to resource for trip inspiration for many years. With a variety of advertising placements at various price points, Experience Sioux Falls encourages you to explore the best fit for your business.

Experience Sioux Falls is partnering with Flynn Wright to produce the 2026 Official Sioux Falls Visitor Guide, with Laura Arnett as the point-of-contact for advertising. Please get in touch with Laura to discuss your options.

Two New Events Booked for Sioux Falls

Experience Sioux Falls worked with Hype Nation to book Sioux Falls Face-Off, a large volleyball tournament that will be held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center January 24-25, 2026. The tournament will consist of approximately 120 teams in the girls 12U-18U age ranges. A total of around 4,000 people are expected to travel to the city for the tournament, with a minimum of 1,300 hotel room nights expected to be booked. The estimated economic impact of this event is $1.5 million.

The National Rural Letter Carriers Association has chosen Sioux Falls for its 2029 Mid-State Conference. This event is expected to bring 500 letter carriers from 13 Midwestern states, with an estimated 1,400 hotel room nights. Due to an alternate hosting partnership with North Dakota, this conference can only be held in South Dakota once every 22 years. This event has an estimated economic impact of $736,000.

2025 IPW

Experience Sioux Falls Sales Manager, Jackie Wentworth, joined a group of South Dakota travel industry members at U.S. Travel Association’s IPW last month in Chicago. IPW is an international inbound travel trade show that involves tour operators and travel agents both domestically and around the globe meeting with U.S. destinations, attractions, transportation companies, and more in an appointment-based setting. Past IPWs have generated more than $5.7 billion in future travel to the U.S.

The South Dakota booth had over 160 appointments over the course of three days. These one-on-one appointments were a great opportunity to showcase the beauty of South Dakota and everything our state offers to each tour operator and travel agent so that they are better informed to market our state to their respective buyers.

Navy Week Returns to Sioux Falls

The U.S. Navy will bring its Navy Week to Sioux Falls August 4-10. This nationwide outreach effort involves a group of U.S. Navy Sailors traveling to various cities around the country each year to engage directly with the community through a week-long series of performances, educational events and service projects. 

This year’s Sioux Falls Navy Week will bring 50-75 Sailors to the city to participate in a series of events including a performance at Levitt at the Falls on August 8 by Horizon, a group of seven active-duty sailors and musicians. Sioux Falls has hosted two previous Navy Weeks, most recently in 2016. 

EsportsTravel Summit

Experience Sioux Falls Sales Manager, Brandon Vant Hul, attended the EsportsTravel Summit last month in Minneapolis where he had 23 appointments with planners of esports events. Launched in 2017, the EsportsTravel Summit is the world’s largest gathering of esports tournament and video-game event organizers and the only event focused on the travel side of the esports industry.

Harvester Kitchen by Bryan Awarded 2025 Best of Award of Excellence

Harvester Kitchen by Bryan recently announced that it was awarded Wine Spectator’s 2025 Best of Award of Excellence, which recognizes the world’s best restaurants for wine. 

Best of Award of Excellence recipients display excellent breadth across multiple winegrowing regions and/or significant vertical depth of top producers, along with superior presentation.

Harvester Kitchen by Bryan is one of only five restaurants in South Dakota recognized by Wine Spectator, and the only one to receive the Best of Award of Excellence.

Canopy by Hilton Sioux Falls Downtown Receives AAA Recognition

Canopy by Hilton Sioux Falls Downtown was recently recognized by AAA as a Four Diamond property, joining a list of distinguished hotels and restaurants that offer upscale amenities and distinctive fine dining. Canopy by Hilton Sioux Falls Downtown is the only hotel in South Dakota with a Four Diamond distinction. 

Throughout the year, AAA inspectors visit hotels and restaurants across North America, the Caribbean, and Costa Rica unannounced to objectively verify the 4 C’s of AAA Diamonds: Cleanliness, Comfort, Cuisine, and Consistency