Solar eclipse was biggest ever day for tourism in South Carolina
Last month’s solar eclipse was the biggest single tourist event ever for South Carolina.
According to a report published by the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, about 1.6 million people traveled to or within the State specifically to watch totality, spending about $269 million.
"Not only does this research confirm what our indicators hinted at weeks ago, it puts the picture into sharper focus, adding more definition to the eclipse’s total impact," state tourism director Duane Parrish said.
Out of state visitors were mostly from North Carolina, Georgia and Florida, while the cities of Charleston, Columbia and Greenville were the most popular places to witness the eclipse.
It said another 3.8 million South Carolina residents watched it from their own neighborhoods.
Nearly half of out of state visitors went to a park, a mountain site or the coast to watch the mid-afternoon happening with 23% participating in organized solar eclipse themed events.
Hotels were at near to or full occupancy across SC, with Visit Greenville reporting a ‘record setting’ 96% occupancy.
The state was extensively marketed as one of the best places in the US on the ‘path of totality.’
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports