The South Dakota Department of Tourism is calling last year a successful one in terms of bringing tourists to our state.   In a press conference Thursday afternoon, Governor Dennis Daugaard said the overall economic impact of tourism to the state of South Dakota totaled nearly $2 billion dollars or a 5-percent increase over 2011.  Daugaard says that equates to $291 million dollars, or about 19-percent of local and state taxes collected over the year.  He says without the tax revenue generated by tourism, South Dakotans would have to pay an additional $878 dollars per household in taxes.  The Department of Tourism says overall national interest in visiting South Dakota is high and they say this year should be 'an even better year' for tourism.

Brendyn Medina