Keystone reports 90 percent jump in foot traffic to visitor center during Fourth of July

KEYSTONE, S.D. — During this past Fourth of July weekend, the town of Keystone was bustling.

“All of our campgrounds are full, all of our motels, all of our lodgings, our cabins,” said Robin Pladson, the Director of the Keystone Chamber of Commerce. “Everything is packed.”

During the Fourth in 2019 before the pandemic, the Visitor Center in Keystone reported foot traffic of roughly 130 to 140 people everyday.

Over the same time in 2020 amid the pandemic and the Fourth of July fireworks celebration, that number jumped to roughly 160 to 170 people.

Those numbers, hiked 90 percent this year without the fireworks compared to last year.

“To be able to have that happening at a time when we’ve gone after such a drastic year that we had last year, it makes it super nice to know that we have made our comeback and we’re really strong,” Pladson said.

With that jump in numbers, people aren’t just getting out, they’re getting out earlier than expected.

Crowds flocking to attractions and these businesses, some a couple months before the typical tourism season.

A longer time to earn money for these businesses, who rely on the summer months to make ends meet.

“We have people here opening their businesses, their souvenir shops, their dining areas, their lodging like middle of March because they were coming then, and we’ve only maybe had one week of a down time and it’s just been going strong ever since,” Pladson said.

A strong holiday weekend signaling a pick up for the local tourism businesses.