Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Challenge. With a metropolitan population of about 80,000, Rapid City is the second-largest city in South Dakota. Centrally located in the Black Hills, just off Interstate 90 and only half an hour from Mount Rushmore National Memorial, one of the most quintessential American landmarks, Rapid City is a natural visitor destination. But in the first years of the 21st century, all was not well. The national and regional tourism market had grown more competitive, and Rapid City wasn’t keeping up – even with its immediate neighbors. Despite its central location, visitors were spending less time in Rapid City and more time in smaller towns like Deadwood and Spearfish.

The Plan. In 2006, forward-thinking property owners began collecting a voluntary tax to fund a new marketing initiative – and they turned to TDG’s experts for help. In just a few weeks, TDG’s creative and strategic teams launched a new brand and a national media campaign designed to make Rapid City synonymous with family vacations, Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills. In addition to traditional marketing efforts, which included media buys in National Geographic Traveler and ESPN, TDG used its media relations professionals to coordinate new editorial opportunities, resulting in unprecedented media coverage for Rapid City.

The Results. Visitation to Rapid City rose significantly. Between 2006 and 2008, tax revenues from tourism-based businesses in Rapid City’s county rose 15% - above the average growth rate for the Black Hills region. General inquiries to the Rapid City CVB were up 45% in 2007, while international inquiries rose 189% during the same period. In addition, every month from March through August posted increases in hotel occupancy over 2006, with gains ranging from 36% to 80%. Remarkable? You bet. But when you consider that the number of hotel rooms in the Rapid City area rose 15% between 2006 and 2008, those successes are all the sweeter.

But what about recent problems – rising gas prices, a plagued airline industry, shrinking household budgets? Have economic woes erased our accomplishments? Hardly. As recently as May of 2008, passenger traffic at Rapid City Regional Airport was up 24%, advance bookings were up more than 100% and more airlines are connecting Rapid City with more destinations than ever before.