COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tourism in the City of Columbia is beginning to bounce back after an unprecedented year due to COVID-19 left many businesses mostly empty.
Rita Patel remembers last March vividly as the coronavirus pandemic took hold. “The phones were just ringing, ringing, ringing with cancellations,” Patel said.
Guests to Hotel Trundle, owned by her and her husband Marcus, began to pull out. They had only been open for about two years.
“Hundreds of thousands of dollars lost,” Patel said, “and I just remember looking over at Marcus and saying, ‘What is happening? This can’t be real.’”
Despite this, like many small businesses, they persevered.
“For Marcus and I, and I think a lot of small business owners, there’s just no option to fail,” Patel said. “We just have to modify and pivot.”
Now, things are better at Hotel Trundle and elsewhere in the city.
Charlene Slaughter with Experience Columbia says business and leisure travel has increased. They’re also seeing more people passing through and residents hoping to get out.
“We’re starting to see things start to open up. We’re starting to see more interest in travelers coming in,” Slaughter said. “Last week, our hotel occupancy was at just over 60 percent, which is up from 39 percent last year. So, that’s great to see, and when we see increases like that it means that not only is that a win for our hotels, but it’s a win for our attractions, our restaurants and other hospitality-related folks as well.”
Patel said they began seeing bookings increase as vaccinations increased.
“We’re booked on the weekends, which is amazing. We’re starting to get busier during the week, which is amazing as well,” Patel said. “We’re just so grateful for our hotel, our team and our guests who have returned. It’s just so nice to see everyone again, well and happy.”
While tourism has increased, so have events happening around the city.
The Columbia Visitors Center, located at 1200 Lincoln Street, is a great place to learn more about things to do. Happenings are also listed on ExperienceColumbiaSC.com.