Best Practices in South Carolina Cultural Tourism

1. Best Practices in South Carolina Cultural Tourism Dr. Rich Harrill Director International Tourism Research Institute University of South Carolina

2. About the International Tourism Research Institute • Tourism research to local, regional, national and international clients • Customer segmentation, market profiling, market feasibility, economic impact, tourism planning, and customized projects

3. Methods • Broad applicability • Ability to indicate innovation • Evidence of ongoing program • Willingness to participate • Evidence of an outcome or outcomes

4. Challenge: to create a new cultural tourism event that would be supported by tourists and the local business community. • Solution: created a new cultural tourism event building on existing strengths. Jazz at The Center in the spring balances a popular fall blues festival. • Value created: increasing hotel, restaurant, and retail sales. Complements existing heritage and equine-related tourism products.

5. Quotes • “One of our objectives is to draw people from outside the area who will hopefully stay over night, sleep in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, spend money in our retail businesses, and enjoy the whole weekend—so we reshaped it [Jazz at The Center] as a cultural tourism event.”

6. Quotes • “Cultural tourism organizations should start slowly with something entirely manageable and you can stand to ‘take a hit’ if the program doesn’t produce the first time out. Fortunately, we haven’t experienced that. We have been prudent in not trying make too big a splash the first time.”

7. Challenge: to identify a new market to increase ticket sales while continuing to build Newberry as a cultural tourism destination. • Solution: found target market [group tours] for its own business goals while considering broader economic interests of the community—thinking and acting like economic developers. • Value created: $750,000 in ticket sales; $1,275,000 estimated economic impact; 99 percent occupancy for the adjacent Hampton Inn Opera House.

8. Quotes • “We are very much a part of marketing the community when you consider that some of our clients are industries that call us when they need help showing that Newberry is a very cool place to be.”

9. Quotes • “We are sales people because that is what we do best—we sell the Opera House, Newberry, and the state of South Carolina as cultural tourism attractions.”

10. Challenge: to create a cultural tourism event supporting downtown revitalization, appealing to visitors and residents alike. • Solution: created a four-day downtown Christmas celebration that combines the spirit of an old-fashioned community Christmas celebration with appeal to cultural tourists. • Value created: 10 percent conversion; $388,853 estimated economic impact; increase in downtown hospitality and retail sales.

11. Quotes • “Because of ChristmasVille, Main Street becomes a destination place not only for the community to celebrate, but also for cultural tourists.”

12. Quotes • “We are in the business of creating events that have people come downtown, and cultural tourism is a major part of that strategy.”

13. Challenge: to create a cultural tourism program reducing unemployment and loss of community leadership. • Solution: created an arts partnership offering business training, marketing assistance, Web site development, and an artists’ retail outlet. • Value created: Opened retail outlet; profiled 120 artists in five counties, 75 percent of which participate in the partnership’s many programs

14. Quotes • “People buy memories. If the artists tell why they creating something or how they created something, tourists are more likely to buy it.”

15. Quotes • “It is easier to get people involved in a leadership position—to become an agent of change—if they have a passion for leadership and think they can do it. The Salkehatchie Arts Partnership shows them that they can do it.”

16. Challenge: to create a cultural tourism event involving artistically diverse and geographically dispersed partners and collaborators. • Solution: begin with collaboration, rather than view collaboration as a byproduct of the event management. • Value created: promoted Georgetown County as cultural tourism destination; increased hotel occupancy during shoulder season; and simplified marketing while solidifying regional identify.

17. Quotes • “The objective of Treasures of the Tidelands is to simply help artists and events find audiences, or audiences find artists and events.”

18. Quotes • “Treasures of the Tidelands show what you can do if you start out with collaboration in mind. Your goal isn’t who gets credit, but how everyone can win.”

19. Conclusions • Build on existing strengths (The Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County) • Think and act like an economic developer (The Newberry Opera House Foundation) • Create an event that appeals to tourists and residents alike (The Arts Council of Rock Hill and York County)

20. Conclusions • Assist artists with entrepreneurship and leadership training (Salkehatchie Leadership Institute) • Begin with collaboration, rather than view collaboration as a byproduct of event management (Cultural Council of Georgetown County)

21. Contact • Dr. Rich Harrill • E-mail: rharrill@hrsm.sc.edu • Phone: (803) 777-7682