Presented to
South Dakota Missouri River
Tourism Association

Governor Dennis Daugaard presents
the 2013 Excellence in Tourism Innovation Award to
Karen Kern and Jenn Hanna of
the South Dakota Missouri River Tourism Association
at the 2014 Governor's Conference on Tourism.

downloadable, hi-res version of this photo (300 dpi)

The Excellence in Tourism Innovation Award, first presented at the 2013 conference, is awarded to a member of the South Dakota visitor industry for their innovative thinking in marketing or special promotion.

The South Dakota Missouri River Tourism Association has been promoting the Missouri River and all of the activities, history and recreational opportunities in the communities surrounding it for 50 plus years.

But, it’s the development of creative partnerships that makes the South Dakota Missouri River Tourism Association stand out.

In order to better serve our visitors, they partnered with the Army Corps of Engineers to promote the visitor industry in South Dakota. They moved their office to the Corps’ Oahe Dam Visitor Center on Lake Oahe, providing more visibility, longer hours and better service to visitors.

In 2013, the South Dakota Missouri River Tourism Association also underwent a name and brand transformation, from the Great Lakes of South Dakota Tourism Association, to better communicate its overall mission.