Tourism seems to be promising for 2021 regardless of workforce issues, officers say | Native

Julie Jensen, CEO of Rapid City, said there are some restaurant, hotel and hospitality operators offering signing bonuses.

“These people, young people, need to understand that there are some really great opportunities this summer with a very nice bonus of $ 1,000 for signing up at some of these hotels,” said Jensen.

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She said we also have a problem with the supply chain, which includes rental cars.

“We’re a place where you fly in and rent a car to see the Black Hills,” she said. “It’s a problem, but so are sheets and towels.”

Jensen said she worries as the city, region and state expect a great year for tourism.

South Dakota has reduced visitor spending by 18% and visitor numbers by 13%, compared to 45% in other states. Hagen said there were 12.6 million visitors to the state in 2020, compared to 14.1 million in 2019.

“We didn’t expect to see that number,” he said.

Visitor spending was $ 3.4 billion in 2020, up from a record $ 4.1 billion in 2019.

Hagen said studies have shown that 75% of the American public are willing to travel with vaccinations increasing.