Tourism Tax and Research Update
Secretary Richard Benda, Department of Tourism and State Development, will be welcoming a representative from IHS Global Insight for a presentation on Tuesday, May 26 at 3 p.m. in Pierre (Ramkota Hotel, Amphitheater II). The Office of Tourism will be transitioning to Global Insight for its economic impact reporting mechanism. Secretary Benda will also be giving an update on HB 1072. This information session will allow the visitor industry to hear from Secretary Benda on this new law and have dialog on how to prepare for when the tax sunsets on June 30, 2011.

For more information, contact
Melissa Bump
at
Melissa.Bump@state.sd.us
or
605-773-3301

Information Centers Open
Interstate Information Centers opened Saturday, May 16. Go out, visit with the staff and get to know them. They’re a great resource for our visitors and are anxious to learn everything they can about our industry so they can relay it to our travelers.

Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., seven days a week.

Visitor and Industry Relations
For more information, contact
Natasha Bothun
at
Natasha.Bothun@state.sd.us
or
605-773-3301

Brochures at Information Centers
Final reminder: if you would like your brochure placed at the Information Centers this summer, it will only be accepted for approval through May 31. Any publication submitted after May 31 will not be placed in the centers this year.

Visitor and Industry Relations
For more information, contact
Natasha Bothun
at
Natasha.Bothun@state.sd.us
or
605-773-3301

Social Media Network
Check out the Office of Tourism’s new social media network. You can find us on several sites, including:

Twitter – @travelsd and @sdoutdoors
www.twitter.com/travelsd and www.twitter.com/sdoutdoors

Facebook Fan Page – South Dakota Tourism
www.facebook.com/pages/South-Dakota-Tourism/71147243667?ref=mf
(You will need your own Facebook account to view this page.)

Outdoors Blog – sdoutdoors.wordpress.com

YouTube Channel – www.youtube.com/user/SouthDakotaTourism

If any of you are new to the world of social media and want to learn more about how to get started, feel free to contact us any time.

Media and Public Relations
For more information, contact
Wanda Goodman
at
Wanda.Goodman@state.sd.us
or
605-773-3301


Research and E-Commerce
For more information, contact
Kirk Hulstein
at
Kirk.Hulstein@state.sd.us
or
605-773-3301

Free Social Media Seminars Continue
Tourism's marketing agency-of-record, Lawrence & Schiller, continues with their ten-week webinar series on social media. The series is provided free of charge for the visitor industry. The weekly one-hour sessions provide insight into the world of social networking and best practices for use within your own business. Five sessions remain.

The schedule is available at www.l-s.com/bootcamp/schedule.pdf to view and download. Interested persons may register for the Social Media Bootcamp at www.l-s.com/bootcamp.

Coming Up...

May 19, 10 a.m. CST
Social SEO

May 26, 10 a.m. CST
Connecting the Dots

June 2, 10 a.m. CST
PR 2.0 - Making the Message
Matter in a Digital World

Shoulder Season Great Getaways
Watch your mailboxes and check the industry website for Shoulder Season Great Getaways registration information. Forms will be mailed in early June, at which time we will update the information on www.SDVisit.com.

Visitor and Industry Relations
For more information, contact
Natasha Bothun
at
Natasha.Bothun@state.sd.us
or
605-773-3301

How are South Dakota Businesses Going Green?
The Office of Tourism is beginning an initiative to "go green" and encourages everyone in the visitor industry to take steps to go green themselves. If you’re already taking these steps, please let us know about them. We’d like to hear what you’re doing. Or, if you know of a good educational resource, please pass it along to us so we can share it with others in the industry.

A couple helpful links we've found:

"10 Ways to Go Green" - Worldwatch Institute

"Going green in five easy steps" - Plan Your Meetings

Visitor and Industry Relations
For more information, contact
Nicole Gall
at
Nicole.Gall@state.sd.us
or
605-773-3301

Important Reminders
Ask SD Tourism
The date and time of this year's final "Ask South Dakota Tourism" session:

   July 17 - Milbank - Milbank Visitor Center (East Highway 12) - 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
                   (During the Glacial Lakes & Prairies board meeting)

Spring Hospitality Training
Training opportunities are still available in Sioux Falls, Fort Sisseton, Custer State Park, Keystone and Custer. Find more details on www.SDVisit.com.

Capital for a Day
The first Capital for a Day of 2009 has been scheduled for May 27 in Clear Lake.