Tourism, Secretary
Jim Hagen has served as South Dakota’s Secretary of Tourism since 2011, leading the state’s tourism industry to record-breaking growth and national recognition. His leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic positioned South Dakota among the top three tourism-performing states, making it the first to fully recover to pre-pandemic spending levels. In 2024, the state welcomed 14.9 million visitors and surpassed $5 billion in visitor spending for the first time in history. The industry just recently set all-time records once again in 2025. Hagen has held key national leadership roles, including serving on the National Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and the executive board of the U.S. Travel Association. Under his direction, Travel South Dakota has earned numerous national awards, including for the “So Much South Dakota, So Little Time” campaign, the Corn Kid public relations initiative, and the Forever 605 stewardship program. Named National State Tourism Director of the Year in 2014 and honored with the Ben Black Elk Award in 2021, Hagen continues to champion the people, places, and stories that make South Dakota unforgettable.