By Kathleen Dayton
Staff Writer

Jam-packed restaurants, full hotels and a growing list of accolades that rate Charleston at the top of the nation’s travel destinations should mean the area’s paid attractions, including historic sites, are raking in money from ticket sales.

Not so. While some attractions have seen the number of visitors grow in the past year, many have experienced flat or slightly declining numbers, a trend that has been noted at historic sites across the nation as more activities and venues compete for the tourist dollar.

An analysis of visitation at 16 area paid attractions, published in 2005 by the College of Charleston’s Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, found five sites had an increase of 3% or more; three remained almost flat with a decrease of less than 3%, and eight sites had visitation decrease at least 3% or more.

“This is a big topic, and we’re devoting a lot of attention to this,” said Max A. van Balgooy, a director at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “The biggest failure is that historic sites, like many businesses, don’t know their customers well enough to create programs that are attractive and engaging.”

So much to do

Sites like National Trust property Drayton Hall on S.C. Highway 61 formerly had nearly a monopoly on their product: guided tours of period rooms in a historic house. But competition is far greater today than it was 10 or 20 years ago, van Balgooy said.

George McDaniel, executive director of Drayton Hall, said tourists come to Charleston because of its history, but that doesn’t always translate to a visit to a historic site.

“There are so many more things to do with regard to leisure time now,” McDaniel said. “Shopping is such a popular activity now, and of course there are more restaurants here, so dining is something people are doing. You’ve also got more attractions, too.”

When Charleston’s historic plantations and gardens first opened to the general public, there was no S.C. Aquarium, no Patriots Point, no Waterfront Park.

“It has come down from the traditional one-week vacation to multiple short vacations,” said John Crotts, professor of hospitality and tourism management at the College of Charleston.

“Once a person does come here, attractions are vying for their limited discretionary time.”

Tempting, no-cost attractions, like King Street in downtown Charleston, are also making it tougher for visitors to carve out time to visit a paid attraction.

Now, historic sites on the fringe of town are beefing up their offerings, cross-marketing and offering combination tickets to make the day trip worthwhile.

Drayton Hall recently launched a combination ticket with nearby Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, and for some time has offered “A Day on the Ashley,” a tour for groups which includes a tour of Drayton Hall followed by lunch and stroll in the gardens at Middleton Place.

Perrin Lawson, deputy director of the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Boone Hall has done a good job of generating visitors by hosting events and tapping into agritourism.

“We’re constantly promoting the attractions to make our visitors understand that they’re an integral part of the Charleston experience,” Lawson said.

E-mail Business Journal writer Kathleen Dayton at kdayton@setcommedia.com.

SUBSCRIBE | REPRINTS | CONTACT US

Phone: 843-849-3100    Fax: 843-849-3122