Rapid City speeding towards more meetings
Visitor numbers to South Dakota grew by three percent last year after a 1.2 percent increase in 2009 — all at a time when national visitors dropped by seven percent.
Why in the world South Dakota and urban areas such as Rapid City?
One clear element drawing visitors is its convention business, say tourism officials whose slogan is "Great Faces. Great Places."
"They (visitors) come for the scenic wonders of the southwest’s Black Hills and Badlands, to soak up the history and culture of the Great Plains and Old West, and to unwind and hunt and fish at its incredible number of sprawling lake recretation areas," says MeetingsFocus MIDAMERICA.
A central location and affordability helps draw conventioners, says Lisa Storms, director of sales and marketing at the Rapid City CVB.
Groups want to see nearby attractions such as Mount Rushmore and a park dedicated to General George Custer.
The city has 5,300 guest rooms and up to 175,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space.
Other groups are attracted to some of the smaller towns such as Deadwood, which has a casino and an indoor water park. Deadwood is a National Historic Landmark.
By David Wilkeninjg
David
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