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NewslettersBeaufort, Port Royal approve $25K to holiday marketing
Towns hope tourism-related businesses will chip in, too
mcovington@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5502
The city of Beaufort and town of Port Royal have jointly invested $25,000 into a seasonal marketing effort aimed at luring holiday shoppers from North Carolina to Georgia into local businesses -- but they also are looking for business owners to contribute money to the project.
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The effort is sponsored by the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, which will use the funds for online and print advertisements encouraging travel to the Beaufort area this holiday season.
The ads will target the Charlotte and Atlanta markets and also will circulate throughout South Carolina and eastern Georgia. Some will appear in travel and tourism publications and magazines that circulate regionally.
Beaufort officials gave $12,500 to the project. The money came from the park and tourism budget for the holiday season. Port Royal officials also gave $12,500 from their hospitality and accommodations tax funds.
The hope is local businesses, particularly those relying on tourism, will join the effort by matching the $25,000 already in the pot. As of Monday afternoon, no businesses had come forward, according to chamber president Carlotta Ungaro.
"It's just a burst to help with the economy right now," Ungaro said of the marketing blitz, a first for the area.
If the campaign is successful, local governments will consider doing it again in the spring, said Shirley Hughes, assistant city manager for Beaufort.
The National Retail Federation, a trade association that tracks retail sales and consumer spending nationwide, estimates holiday sales will increase by just 2.2 percent this year -- the smallest increase since 2002. Beaufort and Port Royal officials hope investing in marketing during the economic downturn will boost local businesses.
"The town got involved because we understand the economic difficulties that are being experienced at the moment," said Van Willis, town manager for Port Royal. "We wanted to participate in a potential remedy ... ."
Hughes agreed. About 40 percent of the city's revenue comes from business income and tourism taxes, she said. Higher profits for local businesses would translate directly into increased tax revenues.
To get involved, call the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce at 843-525-8523.
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