After a better than expected year in 2020, local tourism officials are optimistic regarding what this year will bring for our region of the country.
Yankton Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Kasi Haberman says especially compared to other states, Yankton has the type of attractions that continued to bring in visitors during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Haberman says while the municipal Triple-B fund took a hit last year, the Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area saw record numbers of campers and visitors.
Haberman says working to bring conventions back to the Yankton community and getting ready for the upcoming summer visitor season are among her priorities.
While on average visitor spending across the US last year was down forty-five percent, the South Dakota Department of Tourism says visitors here spent three-point-four billion dollars, a decline of only eighteen percent.