COLUMBIA, S.C. — We’re just days away from Memorial Day Weekend, the kickoff to the summer travel season. As people get ready to take some leisure time, the governor issued a proclamation on Monday marking Travel and Tourism Week in the state.
In South Carolina, the hospitality industry has a more than $29 billion impact. The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism (SCPRT) says one in 10 people in the state work in hospitality, supporting more than 200,000 jobs.
“Without a doubt North Augusta,” Columbia resident Bobby Sideikas shared his favorite place to visit within the state. “The golf, the people, the food, the greenways…it’s the best.”
“Greenville,” Jon Chaney countered.
“I love Charleston,” Lexington resident Ruthie Lamp said.
“I like Gilbert. Gilbert, South Carolina,” Nigeria native and Lexington resident Glory Owiriwa explained. “They have the Gilbert Peach Festival every year in July. July 4 for America's independence. I love the food. The people. Everywhere is really nice in South Carolina.”
Columbia resident Nancy Mullen says she likes traveling in the state to see different theaters. When it comes to beaches, “we like going to Beaufort.”
As for Hartsville resident Evan Thompson, “I have to go with Myrtle Beach just because of the people, the environment and, you know, the beach itself.”
They’re all places that South Carolinians say they enjoy traveling within their own state. For Mullen, it’s encouraging to know that tourism is increasing as more people visit the Palmetto State.
“I'm glad they're coming because it produces money for the state. And that's what all states need,” Mullen said. “They can't just rely on their citizens. We want people to come in.”
SCPRT Director Duane Parrish spoke about the impact of tourism throughout the state as Governor Henry McMaster proclaimed May 19 - 25 as South Carolina Travel and Tourism Week.
“Because of our collective work in communities around the state, tourism-related tax collections reduce the annual tax burden for every South Carolinian by nearly $1,000,” Parrish shared. “Look at all the different things and places and attractions we have in our state. We really have the mountains to the sea in our state. You can play golf in the morning on the beach and then play in the mountains that afternoon. You can do that in other states but not on the same day. You can do it here in the same day.”
Speakers focused specifically on the growth of sports tourism, which Parrish says is one of the fastest growing sectors in the tourism industry worldwide.
“While we've always been a great state for competition, now more than ever, our destinations are investing and getting more creative as they attract more and more sporting events to the Palmetto State,” Parrish explained. “In fact, the tourism arm of the United Nations estimates that sports tourism accounts for 10% of the entire global tourism industry. And it's expected to have a growth rate of 18% over the next six years. Sports tourism combines two important elements: that's the innate human desire to travel and our fanatic passion for sports.”
At Lake Hartwell, that’s visitors coming for the Bassmaster Classic.
“South Carolina and BASS fit together really well because of your natural resources in the state and BASS being an organization dedicated to protecting and promoting all natural resources the world over. That’s why BASS has been a regular visitor to the Palmetto State, coming here over 40 times since 1972 for major events. In fact, South Carolina is the only state to host every type of event BASS holds,” Phillip Johnson, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Customer Engagement Operations with BASS said. “South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell has been the site of the Superbowl Bass Fish and the Bassmaster Classic four times. Each time it holds a classic, it flirts with or breaks the attendance record, showing South Carolinians love BASS as much as we love them.”
In Myrtle Beach, Visit Myrtle Beach President Karen Riordan says tourism is the largest industry sector, employing over 80,000 people for a $2.2 billion labor impact. As that impact grows as a whole, Riordan says sports tourism specifically is increasing in the area with the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic taking place a couple weeks ago.
“This tournament shattered all expectations. Going into a year one is always kind of risky, not exactly sure what’s going to happen,” Riordan shared. “We learned Saturday night, May 11 that we shattered a new record on the PGA tour. We had 15,281 spectators on Saturday alone, which has never happened at a PGA tour inaugural tour in the history of the PGA.”
Similarly, Darlington Raceway President Josh Harris says his track is also seeing lots of attention, which positively impacts the entire state.
“NASCAR events at Darlington Raceway attract visitors from all 50 states, over 14 countries and annually generates over $112 million in economic impact to the state of South Carolina,” Harris said. “In fact, over 57% of attendees traveled from outside the state.”
As Parrish explains, the impact extends outside of the fishing boat, golf course or racetrack.
“On those trips, when [visitors] aren't at the sporting event, they're discovering the host destination and the surrounding area, filling up our hotels and restaurants,” Parrish detailed.
For places like Rock Hill, Mayor John Gettys says there are direct results from sports tourism that point to the benefit.
“Just a few years ago, our hospitality tax revenue was $25 million a year give or take,” Gettys reflected. “This year, we’ll exceed over $110 million at fiscal year end.”
Gettys said that has resulted from different measures the city has taken, such as building the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center. Since focusing on sports tourism, Gettys says the community has come together.
“You see, that’s what sports tourism does for us as a community: it binds us together. It’s the reason we build the parks, it’s the reason we invest in our people. It's about relationships. It's about maintaining who we are as a people in this state,” Gettys shared with event attendees. “When COVID came in everything shut down, the first live televised event in the country was because of a waiver by a certain governor that allowed the cornhole championships to be shown on ESPN at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center. It's been looped in ever since. As a result of that, the corporate headquarters came to Rock Hill and their manufacturing center came to Rock Hill.”
Here in the Capital City, Kelly Barbrey with Experience Columbia says the area welcomed 15.8 million visitors in 2022 and is expecting an increase when the most recent statistics are available.
“It generates about $2.6 billion for our economy here in Columbia and that just contributes to the overall statewide tourism numbers, so we’re very excited about the growth that’s happening here,” Barbrey explained.
In Columbia, Barbrey says the city is a 12-month destination with hotel occupancy and average daily rate of hotels staying pretty consistent throughout the year.
“It feels good,” Thompson laughed. “Just don't run us out.”
Gov. McMaster spoke at the event on Monday, saying the state is “the first in all the things we want to be first in.”
McMaster says South Carolina thrives because of its top three industries: recreation and tourism, manufacturing and agribusiness.
“They’re all booming up in the billions and billions. And if we didn't have all of those, we wouldn't be balanced. Most states don't. We have things in South Carolina that they just dream about in other places,” McMaster said. ““We're aiming to win every race and we want our children to grow up and be happy and prosperous.”
According to SCDPT, Parrish says his department has awarded over $3 million through the Sports Tourism Advertising and Recruitment (STAR) grant program to local destinations for the recruitment of new sporting events.
Parrish says the 132 events that have been supported through the program include “collegiate softball, baseball, and basketball championships to international strongman competitions to cornhole World Championships,” Parrish detailed.
Parrish also highlighted the Undiscovered SC program, which assists local governments in the development of publicly-owned tourism attractions.
When it comes to some of those “undiscovered” areas, Parrish says a few come to mind.
“You think of Aiken and Camden, the equestrian market,” Parrish said. “Tourism is really statewide in South Carolina, places like Greenville, Columbia, but even beyond, those smaller cities…even on the coasts, Beaufort, Georgetown, smaller cities, things going on in other areas that, you know, you may if you want to be a little quieter, not around as many people, there's a lot of other places to go besides the larger destinations around the state.”
Looking at the future, Parrish says he’s optimistic that the tourism industry growth will continue.
“Deplanements for calendar year 2023 were up 10% over the previous year. For the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, emission tax collections are up an incredible 17%,” Parrish detailed. “Summer looks really good, gas prices remain stable. Inflation seems to have cooled a little bit. People have just enjoyed the outdoor recreation more since COVID than ever and that continues on today. We have a lot of that in South Carolina. I anticipate a great summer quite frankly.”