After billions lost in 2020, SC tourism recalls its few ‘unforeseen successes’ | The business

COLOMBIA – When South Carolina’s tourism leaders meet every February, the event tends to be a recap of last year’s successes – the more, in billions, the trips were worth compared to the previous year and what parts of the sector were growing faster.

At the 2021 Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Travel, which began Monday at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism of SC maintained its focus on the positive.

But instead of global trends, the agency highlighted little frills of hope in what was a devastating year for travel, such as a growing “impulse market” and increased demand for outdoor activities.

Meanwhile, the main industry indicators are far from recovering.

The state’s tourism industry lost about $ 5.7 billion in visitor spending last year. In April alone, during the peak of COVID-19 blockades, the industry saw a loss of more than $ 1 billion compared to 2019.

Tourism-related jobs have halved and hotel occupancy has dropped to less than 20%, something that state tourism director Duane Parrish said he had never seen in decades working in hospitality.

“No other sector has been hit as hard as ours, and no other sector has experienced such a prolonged recovery,” said Parrish when he addressed the South Carolina tourism authorities at Monday’s conference.

Originally planned for Greenville, the event was moved to Columbia to facilitate the participation of people in all parts of the state, without the need to stay overnight. The event was also shortened, had a simplified schedule, with no outings or golf matches and all participants had their temperatures tracked and were forced to wear a mask.

The content of the conference opening was also very different.

In recent years, a highlight of the event has been an update on tourism growth in South Carolina, an announcement that was usually made during Parrish’s recap of last year’s successes and plans for the next 12 months.

At the 2020 conference, it was reported that tourism had risen to $ 24 billion in the state of Palmetto.

But this time, Monday’s conversation was about recovery, marketing changes and the few and distant success stories the industry saw in 2020.

Golf was one of the “unforeseen successes”.

While some attractions saw the public drop by half, many golf courses have increased their revenue.

With over 300 golf courses in the state, Parrish argued, South Carolina could continue to play that advantage in 2021, especially with the return of the RBC Heritage Tournament on Hilton Head Island – Parrish was recently named president of this year’s event – and the 2021 PGA Championship that is scheduled for May at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

A portion of PRT’s “recovery advertising funds”, which have been reinforced by state and federal funds, have been dedicated specifically to the promotion of golf, said Parrish.

The popularity of outdoor activities also helped SC State Parks to be among the sector’s outliers in 2020.

Despite being closed throughout April, the state’s 47 parks generated $ 42 million in revenue earned last year, an increase of 13.5% compared to 2019.

And the parks are looking to diversify their market by working with Black Folks Camp Too, a business started by a native of Columbia with the aim of making the camps more like neighboring communities.

Parrish also announced that, following the success of a virtual reality experience designed to simulate walking to the top of Table Rock Mountain in Upstate, the park system is developing a virtual reality tour for the lighthouse at Hunting Island State Park and a kayaking experience on the Catawba River.

To help promote itself to visitors in 2021, South Carolina will again work with Lowcountry resident and country solo star Darius Rucker.

At last year’s tourism conference, the Charleston native gave a surprise presentation, and Parrish announced a partnership with the singer who would help spread the promotion of tourism in South Carolina while Rucker was traveling. But, as this plan was largely thwarted by COVID-19, the department is extending the business until 2021.

For the second year in a row, Rucker is featured in the South Carolina vacation guide, this time standing in front of an old car parked on Church Street in downtown Charleston. New promotional videos were filmed showing the star driving through popular destinations in the state, and the first article in the vacation guide is titled “Driving with Darius”.

Road trips are expected to be the preferred way of traveling this year, as some people remain hesitant about boarding planes.

Last year it completely redesigned the state’s “car market” map, or the places travelers are likely to drive out of to South Carolina. In addition to the states included in the pre-COVID vehicle market, the Parrish agency he added nine others that were previously considered too distant for most travelers to consider driving. This includes states like Texas, Missouri and Michigan.

Advertising has been expanded to reach these new markets, said Parrish, as they compete within the “new consumer environment” shaped by COVID-19.