Tourism group concentrates efforts on nearby travelers

Recognizing tighter economic times, the Lowcountry and Resort Island Tourism Commission will begin to target tourists from a tighter geographic circle.

The nonprofit commission promotes tourism in Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and Colleton counties, traditionally with national and international marketing campaigns. But as the economy slows, the commission believes people will take shorter vacations and stay closer to home, so its efforts will focus on a 350-mile radius that includes Atlanta and Charlotte.

Occupancy rates at Beaufort and Hilton Head Island hotels fell 6.5 percent in August,the height of the tourist season, commission member Jack Reedreported at the group's Wednesday meeting.

That indicates that visitors from states such as Maryland and Ohio are not traveling here with the same frequency, according to commission executive director Jim Wescott.

"It's a challenge for the rest of the year," Reed said."Whatever it takes to get heads in beds."

Last year,of its total budget of $570,000, the commission spent $52,000 on national marketing. This year, the commission will redirect that part of the budget. For example, money spent on travel shows in Washington, D.C., will instead be spent on a travel show in Atlanta. The $10,000 allocated for national advertising last year will be spent on magazine advertisements that appear in specific ZIP codes.

The commission is funded in part through accommodations taxes distributed by local governments. It requested $76,550 from local governments for marketing. Those local contributions are used to leverage a matching grant from the S.C. Department of Tourism. The remainder comes from $175,000 allocated by the S.C. General Assembly, advertising revenue and donations.

"I think what it translates to is we know tourism is the No. 1 industry to this economy," Wescott said. "We'll do what we have to keep traffic up and people in beds. I don't think it matters where the visitors come from as long as they keep coming."