WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. — According to South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism (PRT) Director Duane Parrish, last year was a record year for tourism in the state with a $29B impact. That includes dollars spent on hotel stays, visitor spending on gas, food, outdoor recreation and other tourist attractions.
Parrish said that 2023 is on that same trajectory to reach a similar amount of money.
Parrish tells News 19 this is good news for the future, meaning these visits from out-of-staters bring in potential for investment.
"Number one, so at least economic development. Number two, it improves the quality of life for South Carolinians," Parrish said. "The more attractions we have, the more things there are to do for local residents. And number three, I think it just overall helps impact our economy overall and provides more money for everything like schools."
Parish said during COVID, people came to realize how important travel is and it is more of a priority now, post-COVID.
That includes traveling to prominent destinations Columbia is known for like the Riverbanks Zoo.
"Komodo dragons are the largest lizard in the world, so it's a really charismatic species. They're only found on a few islands, Komodo Island being one of those in SE Asia, so they're vulnerable to extinction being in such small areas and on islands which can be impacted by typhoons," said Riverbanks Zoo Herpetology Curator Sean Foley.
Foley explains private donations from visitors are what's making a new exhibit space for Komodo dragons possible.
Foley said this, in turn, will attract more tourists who want to learn about the unique species Riverbanks Zoo has that sets them apart from other places in the southeast.
"Just being able to educate them. Again, making that connection for the kids, cause they're the next generation coming up. We want them to understand what's happening out in the world, not just in South Carolina," Foley said.
Parrish said this is the time to reinvest while people are making good money off of tourism, and the state has funding for it in the budget. He tells News 19 he thinks this could be a long spree of tourism success for the next six to seven years.
According to officials from the Riverbanks Zoo, the new Komodo dragon exhibit should be finished and open by spring of next year.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster proclaimed this week as Travel and Tourism Week across the state.