PIERRE, S.D. – Travel South Dakota has earned national recognition, taking home an impressive four Gold Awards from Travel Weekly’s 2025 Magellan Awards. The awards honor the best in the travel industry for outstanding design, marketing, and services, placing the South Dakota Department of Tourism alongside major national and international brands.
The four Gold Awards underscore the success of recent marketing efforts to promote travel across the state, including destinations like the Black Hills and the surrounding Rapid City area.
Travel South Dakota’s Gold-winning campaigns are:
- The “Travel South Dakota Forever 605” campaign, which won in the Promotions with Purpose for Destinations category.
- The “All Types of Crazies Welcome” video, created to promote the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which won in the Promotional Video for Destinations category.
- The “Travel South Dakota Arts & Culture” campaign, which won in the Advertising/Marketing for Destinations category.
- The South Dakota Passport Program, which won for In-Destination Visitor Information Program for Destinations, using online passports to guide explorers to off-the-beaten-path South Dakota spots.
“Being recognized with four gold winners is outstanding,” said James Hagen, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism. “We’re proud of these campaigns and what they have done for our industry, and even more excited about what’s next. These awards fuel our drive to continue elevating South Dakota’s presence on the global travel stage.”
The award-winning campaigns were created in partnership with Travel South Dakota’s agencies of record, including Karsh Hagan, Miles Partnerships, Lawrence & Schiller, Lou Hammond Group, and Love Communications. For more inspiration and travel planning resources across South Dakota, visitors can explore TravelSouthDakota.com.