Travelers planning their next vacation may choose Rapid City based on the iconic parks and memorials or family-friendly attractions. Or perhaps it’s the recent tourism accolades making Rapid City and the Black Hills of South Dakota a must-visit place. Frequented for its variety of shopping, culinary and lodging options and immediate access to national treasures in western South Dakota, including Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park and more, Rapid City is situated as the perfect location for any travelers’ next vacation! |
· National Geographic Traveler – Early in 2018, Rapid City earned a spot as one of Nat Geo’s Cities on the Rise/ The Best Small Cities for Trending – Most Instagrammed. This feature syndicated to many other media outlets, including online television outlets, Simplemost, Business Insider Online, Business Insider UK, and The IndependentOnline to name a few.
· Budget Travel – One of the Best Budget Destinations in the Midwest for offering value travel with under-the-radar gems to discover, Rapid City was quoted as, ‘an excellent center of operations if you’re visiting the region.’ Attractions in Rapid City were called-out later as the Black Hills were named one of the 11 Amazing Summer Vacations.
· Fodor's Travel - America’s 25 Cutest Main Streets in Small(er) Towns highlighted the ‘darling and unexpected surprises’ found in the City of Presidents and Main Street Square.
· Conde Nast Traveler Online - South Dakota’s Parks were amongst one of three best Midwest Road Trips, with Rapid City named as lodging headquarters.
· Thrillist – Rapid City’s food and beverage scene was highlighted when South Dakota was named The Best Places to Take a Trip for the Rest of 2018.
· Today Online – In the roundup 40 Great Places to Take Your Kids Before They Are Grown the Black Hills were named #9, highlighting Rapid City as the place to stay while touring Mount Rushmore and beyond.
· Travel + Leisure – As summer crowds began thinning and cooler weather arrived, it is the perfect time for a visit to Rapid City, described as ‘a gateway to several national parks and a destination in itself’ in The Best Places to Travel in October.
· Business Insider Online – 17 of the Best Places to Visit in the US in the Fall celebrated South Dakota’s Native American culture in Rapid City touting the Black Hills Powwow as one of the premier cultural events in the country.
· Fodors.com - Christmas came early this year as Rapid City was named to Fodor’s Go List 2019, released at the end of November. The list is a compilation of 52 places, including international destinations such as Morocco, Nicaragua, Australia, Argentina and more, that inspire the magazine’s editors to “get going in 2019.” Let us help you get going, too at VisitRapidCity.com.
“We are thrilled that Rapid City has been recognized and ranked among the best in the world with other top destinations,” says Julie Schmitz Jensen, President and CEO of Visit Rapid City. “These accolades are a big affirmation that Rapid City is an authentic, premiere travel destination with a diverse array of vacation offerings.”
Whether the media recognition sways a traveler’s decision to visit or not, this big publicity is a big reason to celebrate Rapid City as a great place to live, work and play. For a complete list of 2018 media mentions, contact Visit Rapid City.
About Visit Rapid City:
Visit Rapid City is the official marketing organization for Rapid City. The vision is to make Rapid City the top visitor destination by inspiring people to experience Big Things in Rapid City by sharing the Rapid City story to spur economic growth through partnership and innovation.
2017 Black Hills Region Tourism Facts:
Annual Visitor Spending: 1.5+ Billion ($773+ Million in Pennington County)
Black Hills Region Tourism Jobs: 13,000+ jobs (7,000+ in Pennington County)
Without tourism, each South Dakota household would pay $871 more in taxes.