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Pardon Our Dust

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Duane Parrish

Director, SCPRT

 

A lot of the time, when we talk about improvement projects for our State Parks system, what comes to mind are building new cabins or developing new trails. And, often, those are exactly the types of projects we are talking about. We have several ongoing projects - including the construction of a splash pad at Sesquicentennial State Park and the installation of a new fishing pier and boardwalk at Chester State Park - that will greatly enhance the visitor experience at our State Parks.

 

But not all of our improvement projects are quite that exciting or, let's face it, all that glamorous. These projects aren't heralded by a ground-breaking or ribbon cutting ceremony, yet they are equally, if not more, important because they ensure that each visitor's stay at one of our parks is pleasant and comfortable.

 

This winter we have several projects underway to improve our State Park system's aging infrastructure. Among them are an updated system of 27 septic tanks and a drain field at Santee State Park to replace an obsolete lift station and oxidation pond arrangement. A drain field also is being added to Table Rock State Park and a new comfort station has been added to the river access area of Givhans Ferry State Park. These are not the most glamorous of projects, but they are vital to ensuring a quality visitor experience at South Carolina's State Parks.

 

So, when you visit us this season, please pardon our dust. We are simply working to ensure the continued integrity of our parks' infrastructure so that we may continue to deliver positive, memorable experiences for each and every guest of South Carolina State Parks.

December 2, 2014

Statewide Hotel RevPar -- An increase in statewide hotel occupancy of 2.8%, combined with a 4.8% increase in Average Daily Room Rates yielded a 7.8% increase in Hotel RevPAR statewide for September. RevPAR in the the Walterboro/Hardeeville and Columbia areas increased over 20% during the month, while Greenville, Spartanburg and North Charleston experienced an increase of 10% or higher in RevPAR. Statewide RevPAR averages $66.17 year-to-date.

 

Admissions Tax -- Overall Admissions Tax collections decreased nearly 10% during September.  Admissions Tax collections from golf decreased by 19% during the month.

 

State Parks Revenue -- State Parks Revenue decreased slightly in September 2014 compared to the same month in the previous year. While revenue from campsite rentals decreased, overall State Parks admissions and retail sales increased slightly during the month. 

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Airport Deplanements

 

Deplanements at most major airports across South Carolina are up for the month of September and for the calendar year. Among the airports in the state's boundary, Charleston International Airport leads with a 7.7% increase for January through September 2014 over the same period in 2013. The addition of Jet Blue in 2013 at the Savannah / Hilton Head International Airport contributed to a significant increase at that airport.

 

 

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Occupancy Forecasts

Smith Travel Research forecasts an incremental decline in occupancy during December and slight increases in occupancy statewide in January and February.

Discovering the Undiscovered

 

 

SCPRT's new DISCOVER advertising campaign is drawing new levels of attention to lesser known destinations and experiences available to consumers.

The overarching theme for the new DISCOVER campaign is "There is always something new for you to discover in South Carolina."  

 

While it is inarguable that South Carolina's biggest tourism draws are its beaches and resort islands, plethora of golf courses, and coastal destinations of Charleston,  Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, SCPRT believes the state's rich and enormously diverse menu of vacation possibilities - filled with experiences and offerings that are 

truly unique to South Carolina - is even more extensive and worth spotlighting.

 

The campaign seeks to showcase South Carolina's history and heritage, outdoor recreational opportunities, and distinct culture, including its cuisine. Further, the campaign aims to pique the consumer's vacation desire for enrichment, escape and excitement.

 

To date, the campaign has included shoots of two distinct outdoor experiences - one on the Edisto River and the other at Devils Fork State Park in the Upstate; a seafood festival in Bluffton; a Revolutionary War battle re-enactment in Camden; and a balloon festival in Anderson.  Additional creative units to be shot this fiscal year will feature the Gullah culture and beach and golf.

 

The creative for print will appear in magazines, on billboards and digital advertisements for the balance of the fiscal year.  The campaign also includes radio.

Message from Governor's Conference Speaker Troy Thompson

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Implementation is the Hard Part

 

"My conference experience is similar to yours.  Excitement, new ideas and then back to work.  It is a cycle that occurs at conferences, after brainstorming meetings and strategy discussions.  It is something that we encounter daily -- with our clients -- at Pattern.

 

"How do you build upon new ideas and group consensus to actually implement the strategy, vision or new service?

 

"How do you ensure that your bright idea is truly useful and desired by your customer?

 

"For many of our clients creating new ideas is the easy part -- implementation is the hard part."

 

Troy Thompson

Co-Founder, Pattern Service Design

Governor's Conference Breakout Session Speaker

 

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Troy Thompson will lead a breakout session on Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 3-4 p.m. on mapping the customer experience; and again on Wednesday, Feb. 11, from 10:45-11:45 a.m. on implementing all you've learned at the conference back home on the job.


 
The 2015 Governor's Conference on Tourism & Travel will be held February 9-11 at the Embassy Suites at Kingston Plantation Resort in Myrtle Beach. For more information about the conference, visit our website

Special Week to Offer Discounts for South Carolina Seniors


South Carolina's tourism industry will host the first ever Seniors Week Jan. 8-18, 2015, offering discounts at hotels, attractions and restaurants to South Carolina senior citizens who are age 55 or older.

 

The volume of discounts, some of which are hotel rates starting at $80, can be found at www.SCSeniorsWeek.com.

 

The celebration was unveiled in September by Lt. Gov. Yancey McGill and tourism industry leaders at a press conference in Myrtle Beach.

 

"South Carolina seniors are our state's greatest treasure," Lt. Gov. McGill said. "We owe them a debt of gratitude for all they have accomplished and contributed to society during their lifetime, and this week gives us an opportunity to give back to them by showing our appreciation."

 

South Carolina currently has an estimated senior population of 950,000. According to census projections, the number of seniors is expected to climb exponentially over the coming years, reaching close to two million by the year 2030.

 

Seniors Week will run simultaneously with South Carolina Restaurant Week.

 

"The South Carolina Seniors Week promotion will not only provide our in-state senior residents the opportunity to explore their state, but it will also provide a great benefit to our tourism industry by encouraging more travel during the winter season," said SCPRT Director Duane Parrish.

South Carolina's BBQ Campaign Wins Honorable Mention for Video Series

 

SCBBQ Award Intro

 

South Carolina's Barbecue Trail campaign webisodes were recognized at the Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards this month in New York, earning honorable mention in the category of Multi-platform Marketing Campaign: Web Series.

 

The award-winning videos highlight the Southern tradition of cooking barbecue"slow and low" and feature authentic stories about family, food and friends with which viewers can connect. The videos were a cornerstone of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism's Barbecue Trail campaign and were produced by BFG Communications in Bluffton, SCPRT's advertising agency of record.

 

"Last fall, with BFG's creative energy, South Carolina elbowed its way to the table to be part of the national conversation about barbecue," said Beverly Shelley, SCPRT's Director of Sales and Marketing. "We claimed our rightful title as the birthplace of barbecue in the United States."

 

South Carolina's integrated campaign included out of home, print and digital advertising, social media, public relations and custom web content strategies. Other key elements were a dedicated microsite (www.SCBBQTrail.com,) and a print and digital SC BBQ Trail Map that features more than 220 barbecue joints throughout the state.   

 

The Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards honor the best in online video content and advertising in the highly competitive and ever-changing digital landscape.

 

"Promoting our home state is a privilege," said BFG Communications President & CEO Kevin Meany.  "BFG is proud our work for South Carolina landed us at the winners table with such brands as CBS Universal, Travel Channel, Discovery Communications and National Geographic."

 

SCPRT's campaign also recently was awarded the Southeastern Tourism Society's Shining Example Award for a niche campaign.

 

For a taste of the campaign's webisodes, click here. The entire series can be seen here.


Guided Tours and Lecture Series Focus on the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Rivers Bridge

 

Rivers Bridge State Historic Site in Ehrhardt will host a series of lectures and programs from January to April to share significant moments and insights of the Civil War and to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Rivers Bridge.

 

Each lecture will be preceded by a tour of the battlefield along the swampy Salkehatchie where, in February 1865, a band of Confederates held off William T. Sherman's Army for two days before its march through South Carolina. Tours of the Memorial Grounds and cemetery that hold Confederates who died in the battle also will be held.  The tours will begin at 1:30 p.m. and the lectures at 3 p.m.  Admission to each program is $5 per adult and free for children 15 years old and younger, unless otherwise noted.

 

The lecture scheduled for Jan. 17 is titled Sherman Comes to the Carolinas and will be led by William A. Bowers, Jr., historian of the 47th Georgia Infantry and author of The 47th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Joining him will be Joe Long, curator of education for the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, who will specifically discuss Sherman's campaign in the Carolinas.

 

In the lecture The Archaeology of Sherman's March Through South Carolina scheduled for Feb. 7, battlefield archaeologist Dr. Steven Smith from the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology will speak about GPS mapping the Rivers Bridge battlefield. Dr. Eric Plagg, a historian and architectural preservation consultant, will discuss tracing Sherman's march through South Carolina.

 

On Feb. 28, in a lecture titled African-American Soldiers in South Carolina During the Civil War, the State Park Service's historic resource coordinator, Dan Bell, will discuss the road-building and workmanship roles African-Americans filled in the battle; and Joseph McGill, founder and director of The Slave Dwelling Project, will discuss life of the African-American soldier. Admission is free for this program.

 

On March 21, in a lecture titled South Carolinians and the Army of Northern Virginia, educator and Civil War reenactor Jerry Morris will share the story of South Carolinian Frank Mixson, who was a member of the Confederate Army. Joining him to discuss Sherman's march and the Army of Northern Virginia near the end of the war will be Dr. J. Tracy Power, professor of history at Newberry College and author of Lee's Miserables: Life in the Army of Northern Virginia from the Wilderness to Appomattox.

 

A session covering Suffering and Heartbreaks Caused by the American Civil War will be held on April 18, and led by authorities who will share the fate of soldiers in prisons, as well as personal stories and connections. Dr. Debbie Wallsmith, an interpretive specialist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Historic Preservation Division, will coverCamp Lawton, aConfederate prisoner of war camp in Georgia. Personal stories will be shared by Mike Kirby, who researched the fate of Lt. Simeon S. Kirby at the battle of Rivers Bridge; and Phil Gaines, director of the South Carolina State Park Service, who recently discovered his ancestral connection to Rivers Bridge.

 

Rivers Bridge State Historic Site is the only preserved and protected Civil War battlefield in the State Park Service. Located about 23 miles south of Bamberg, it features preserved earthen breastworks built along the Salkehatchie River and used as a shield as Confederates delayed the Union Army's march. An interpretive trail leads to those breastworks. In addition to the Confederate cemetery, the park features a cemetery containing the graves of several World War II veterans.

South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism
1205 Pendleton Street | Columbia, SC 29201

 


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