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Tourism competition growing

By JIM FABER

843-706-8137

Published Thursday, February 8, 2007

Local tourism leaders came out of this week's South Carolina Governor's Conference on Tourism & Travel with a sense that the government understands the issues facing one of the state's largest industries.

Gov. Mark Sanford addressed hundreds of tourism professionals at the conference on Tuesday and seemed to have a real sense of the challenges the industry faces, said Charlie Clark, vice president of communications for the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce.

"What came out of it that we were glad to hear was that he spoke at length about the competitiveness of the marketplace now," Clark said.

Sanford referenced the tourism power of places as far away as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, acknowledging South Carolina is no longer competing against just other southeastern states for travelers, Clark said.

A study by international consultant Michael MacNulty and his team from Ireland's Tourism Development released Monday during the conference said the $16 billion state tourism industry could be a $40 billion annual industry by 2020 if the state were to spend more on marketing.

Liz Mitchell, tourism marketing director for the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the state does a good job of supporting tourism, but more money would help.

A group of coastal tourism leaders, primarily from Myrtle Beach, met with Sanford to press the need for available and affordable insurance along the coast. They urged Sanford to expand the wind pool area where property owners can get last-resort coverage from an association of insurers doing business in the state, even though it might shift coastal insurance costs to property owners statewide.

"We've got to make sure we don't choke the golden goose," said Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Clark, of the Hilton Head chamber, said insurance costs were near the top of the list in a recent legislative issues survey of members.

Insurance costs haven't slowed tourism on the island yet, but the issue is "something you want to stay in front of," Clark said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.