5/31 NEWSBREAK: Charleston area has record-breaking tourism year

The economic impact of tourism on the Charleston area hit a record high of $12.8 billion in 2022, nearly a quarter of the overall region’s economy and a 21% increase over 2021, according to a new College of Charleston (CofC) study.

“When we looked back at 2022, we saw some modest growth in terms of the number of visitors, so we were up about 6% from the year before 2021, and about 3% from where we’d been in 2019,” said Daniel Guttentag, director of CofC’s Office of Tourism Analysis in a WCSC TV story. “But then compounding this slow increase in visitors, we saw increases in the amount that these visitors are spending and then further compounding that we also see the secondary effects of all that economic activity as well.”

The “Estimate of Tourism’s Economic Impacts in the Greater Charleston Area, 2022” looks at visitor volume in Charleston County and conducts an ongoing survey asking visitors how much money they spend and how they’re spending it while visiting the Lowcountry. According to reports, the area is attracting more “high value” visitors, and tourists are spending more money than ever, even without the number of tourists increasing.

Meanwhile, Charleston’s hotel industry also had a record-breaking year, reporting 4.85 million nights sold, an increase of 4% from the previous record set in 2019, according to a report by Lowcountry Hotels.

In other headlines:

CP NEWS: Charleston County Schools picks new superintendent after controversial search. The Charleston County School District Board of Trustees on May 30 announced it will pursue a contract with Wisconsin educator Eric Gallien, 53, to serve as the district’s next superintendent after a months-long nationwide search.

Hundreds attend memorial for Charleston Police Chief Reynolds. Speeches from friends, family and loved ones showed the late Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds as a man who felt a calling to strengthen his community, motivated by people, not power.

Passengers share horror stories from Carnival Sunshine flooded in storm. High winds and rough seas rocked the Carnival Sunshine’s return sailing to Charleston over Memorial Day weekend, flooding hallways and thrusting the pleasure ship into the international news cycle.

S.C. home sales slipped for 21st time in 22 months. Home sales across South Carolina dipped in April for the 21st time in the past 22 months, plunging by double-digit percentages across every major market while the median price grew by a modest rate for the third straight month.

S.C. to get $10M to help protect power grid from inclement weather. The federal grant money will be directed toward projects that help keep the lights on across the state.

Efforts underway to put downtown Charleston’s ‘Little Jerusalem’ on historic places list. Architectural historian Brittany Lavelle Tulla has uncovered a host of compelling information about Upper King Street in downtown Charleston.

Goose Creek breaks ground on amphitheater. The city of Goose Creek hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday afternoon as construction begins on the new Joseph S. Daning Amphitheater in hopes of bringing more arts to the city.

North Charleston picked for New York firm’s new vehicle ‘uplift’ center. An upstate New York manufacturer that makes shelving, racks and other accessories for commercial vehicles is expanding to North Charleston.