390 likes | 559 Views
A Strategic Tourism Plan for Kershaw County. Dr. Rich Harrill Director International Tourism Research Institute University of South Carolina. Key Questions. What Tourism Assets and Attractions Does Kershaw County Have Now? Who Are Kershaw County’s Best Visitors?
E N D
A Strategic Tourism Plan for Kershaw County Dr. Rich Harrill Director International Tourism Research Institute University of South Carolina
Key Questions • What Tourism Assets and Attractions Does Kershaw County Have Now? • Who Are Kershaw County’s Best Visitors? • Where Do Kershaw County’s Best Visitors Come From? • Where Can Kershaw County Find More Best Visitors? • What Economic Impact Will These Visitors Have on Kershaw County?
What Tourism Assets and Attractions Does Kershaw County Have Now? History and Heritage Assets • Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site • Camden Archives and Museum • Battlegrounds and sites • Historic districts • Homes and churches • Cemeteries
What Tourism Assets and Attractions Does Kershaw County Have Now? Cultural Assets • Colonial and Carolina Cups • Celebrate Freedom Festival • Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County • Carolina Motorsports Park • Carolina Downhome Blues Festival • Bethune Chicken Strut and Elgin Catfish Stomp
What Tourism Assets and Attractions Does Kershaw County Have Now? Natural Assets • Lynches River (At Bethune, only bridge in the world that cross the river three times and the river does not fork!) • N.R. Goodale State Park • Savage Bay Heritage Preserve (Carolina Bay)
What Tourism Assets and Attractions Does Kershaw County Have Now? Recreational Assets • Golf • Parks and public access areas (Lugoff) • Lake Wateree • Hunting, fishing, and camping
Who Are Kershaw County’s Best Visitors? • PRIZM—“Birds of a feather” • Sample from two local chain hotels • 1,209 reservations from March 2005 to March 2006
Country Casuals • Median household income: $68,708 • Read hunting and fishing magazines • Watch country music television • Drive a Dodge Ram pickup • Family Types: couples • Age Ranges: 35-64 • Education Levels: high school and college • Employment Levels: white-collar, blue-collar, and farm • Housing Types: homeowners • Urbanicity: town and rural • Income: upper-middle class
Big Sky Families • Median household income: $54,121 • Own a camper • Attend auto races • Read Hot Rod • Listen to classic rock radio • Drive a Chevy Silverado 2500 • Family Types: families • Age Ranges: 25-54 • Education Levels: high school • Employment Levels: blue-collar, farm • Housing Types: homeowners • Urbanicity: rural • Income: midscale
Country Squires • Median household income: $100,850 • Read USA Today • Watch The Disney Channel • Drive a GMC Denali • Family Types: families • Age Ranges: 35-64 • Education Levels: college graduate and above • Employment Levels: professional • Housing Types: homeowners • Urbanicity: town • Income: wealthy
Fast-Track Families • Median household income: $72,379 • Own a power boat • Read Country Living • Drive a GMC Yukon • Family Types: families • Age Ranges: 25-54 • Education Levels: high school and college • Employment Levels: professional, white collar • Housing Types: homeowners • Urbanicity: town • Income: upper income
God’s Country • Median household income: $82,895 • Read airline magazines • Listen to Wall Street Journal radio • Drive a Porsche • Family Types: couples • Age Ranges: 35-64 • Education Levels: college graduate and above • Employment Levels: professional • Housing Types: homeowners • Urbanicity: town • Income: upscale
Landed Gentry • Four of out five of these clusters (with the exception of Big Sky Families) are called Landed Gentry. • Wealthy Americans who migrated to the smaller boomtowns beyond beltways. • Boomer families and couples with college degrees and professional jobs. • They spend heavily on consumer electronics, wireless and computer technology, luxury cars, powerboats, books and magazines, children’s toys, and exercise equipment.
Kershaw County Visitors 0 50 100 150 200 Upscale Couple Visitors Upscale Family Visitors Middle Income Visitors Low Income Visitors Non Target Kershaw County’s Top Clusters
Visitor Origin Where Do Kershaw County’s Best Visitors Come From?
Anchorage, AK Monterey-Salinas, CA Baltimore, MD Denver, CO Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN DMAs Houston, TX Atlanta, GA Washington et al., DC-MD Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX Boston et al., MA-NH 0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000 Population Where Can Kershaw County Find More Best Visitors?
Juneau, AK Salisbury, MD Duluth-Superior, MN-WI Wausau-Rhinelander, WI Lansing, MI DMAs Ft. Wayne, IN Burlington et al, VT-NY Portland-Auburn, ME Harrisburg et al, PA Greenville et al., SC-NC 0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000 900,000 Population Population of Top 10 DMAs for Middle Income Visitors
Poquoson City, VA Falls Church City, VA Goochland County, VA Fairfax City, VA James City County, VA Cities and Counties York County, VA Fayette County, GA Forsyth County, GA Loudoun County, VA Fairfax County, VA 0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 350,000 400,000 Population Population of Top 10 Cities and Counties for Upscale Couple Visitors
Manassas Park City, VA Manassas City, VA Oldham County, KY Fayette County, GA Stafford County, VA Cities and Counties Forsyth County, GA Williamson County, TN Loudoun County, VA Prince William County, VA Fairfax County, VA 0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 350,000 400,000 Population Population of Top 10 Cities and Counties for Upscale Family Visitors
King and Queen County, VA Charles City County, VA Camden County, NC Mathews County, VA New Kent County, VA Cities and Counties Greene County, VA Currituck County, NC Powhatan County, VA Fluvanna County, VA Lee County, GA 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 Population Population of Top 10 Counties and Cities for Middle Income Visitors
Big Sky Families Traditional Times The Cosmopolitans Country Casuals Fast-Track Families Clusters Beltway Boomers God's Country Big Fish, Small Pond Country Squires Movers & Shakers 0 100 200 300 400 500 Distance Traveled How Far Will Kershaw County’s Potential Visitors Travel?
What Economic Impact Will These Visitors Have on Kershaw County?:Revolutionary War Site • Increase 40 percent visitation and 2 room-nights • Value-added: $4,697,742 • Indirect tax: $687,237 • Employment: 179.5 • Total output:$7,399,109
Economic Impact: Revolutionary War Site National Park • Increase 40 percent visitation and 2 room-nights • Value-added: $8,327,992 • Indirect tax: $1,218,283 • Employment: 318.2 • Total output:$13,116,603
Economic Impact: Carolina Cup Steeplechase • Increase 40 percent visitation and 2 room-nights • Value-added: $4,196,369 • Indirect tax: $626,428 • Employment: 236.7 • Total output:$6,980,188
Economic Impact: Celebrate Freedom Festival • Increase 40 percent visitation and 2 room-nights • Value-added: $2,841,119 • Indirect tax: $382,935 • Employment: 103.4 • Total output:$4,815,818
Economic Impact: Colonial Cup Steeplechase • Increase 40 percent visitation and 2 room-nights • Value-added: $645,603 • Indirect tax: $96,375 • Employment: 25.6 • Total output:$1,073,887
Economic Impact: Sports Tourism Event • Increase 40 percent visitation and 2 room-nights • Value-added: $463,162 • Indirect tax: $68,349 • Employment: 18 • Total output:$765,825
Economic Impact:Day Events and Venues • Carolina Motorsports Park: • $2,932,418 • Blues Festival: • $1,667,296 • Westfall Arena: • $1,309,452 • Camden Equestrian Center (one event): • $280,149
Recommendations • Develop outdoor recreation assets, including golf, water-related activities, and soccer. • Create nature-based attractions to balance outstanding historical assets. • Maintain cultural attractionsand events that complement historical assets. • Preserve authentic and attractive rural landscapes used for outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism by controlling sprawl and strip development.
Recommendations • Improve shopping amenities. Shopping is the top tourist activity in the United States and an important means of capturing tourist dollars. • Improve the variety of dining and lodging. Kershaw County’s upscale market segments require diverse dining and lodging experiences. • Kershaw County’s target market segments are upscalefamilies,accordingly attractions andevents should be planned with families in mind.
Recommendations • Invest in historical attractions and equine entertainment. They have recognized brand identity and the highest economic impact. • Improve signage, interpretation, and access. Make explicit connections between historic districts, battle sites, and equine entertainment sites and centers. • Develop a Kershaw County brand for marketing and advertising.
Contact • Dr. Rich Harrill • E-mail: rharrill@hrsm.sc.edu • Telephone: (803) 777-7682 • Fax: (803) 777-1224