South Dakota's tourism industry apparently is benefiting from a weak U.S. dollar.  The 13 visitor information centers along the interstate highways report a 6 percent increase in foreign tourists over the same period last year.

Wanda Goodman in the state Office of Tourism says the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan are among countries showing strong increased visitor traffic to South Dakota.  A weak dollar means foreign visitors get more for their money in the U.S.

Goodman says overall, visitation at the interstate tourism centers is down from the last two years of record growth. She says U.S. travelers are thinking twice about a vacation because of higher gas prices and economic uncertainty in general.