The South Carolina tourism industry failed to maintain its recent momentum over the past week. It saw noticeable declines compared to the previous week and remained well below its pre-pandemic level. These disappointing data points seem to reinforce the belief that federal “stimulus” money may only be a short term spark to this beleaguered sector of the Palmetto State economy.

If so, it seems to suggest that a sustainable, industry-wide recovery is not possible … one that will support tens of thousands of small businesses and hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Anyway, to the numbers …

According to the SC Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism (SCPRT) On Friday, the turnover per available room – or “RevPar”, an important key figure in the industry – was down $ 76.20 for the week ending April 17, 2021. That number was impressive 330.6 percent from the corresponding week a year ago – when Covid-19 fears and subsequent shutdowns grounded the global economy to a standstill.

Unfortunately it turned out to be 20.4 percent Decline from the corresponding week in 2019 – this is the year we need to study to get a sense of how things are going back to normal.

Look here …

(Click to show)

(Via: SCPRT)

RevPAR has been available nationwide since the beginning of the year 20.4 percent higher than last year – although it is 23.7 percent lower than at the same time in 2019.

Unfortunately, SCPRT no longer publishes weekly sales data for Tourism economy – which means that one can only speculate about the general income situation that is going on throughout the state. Hopefully SCPRT will provide this data again soon. In the meantime, my news agency will be closely monitoring the tax receipts for permits and housing published monthly by the SC Department of Revenue (SCDOR). These delay indicators should provide an indication of the extent to which visitors to the Palmetto State have opened their wallets during their travels.

According to separate data published on Friday by the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce (MBACC), RevPAR clocked around along its part of Grand Strand $ 81.50 for the week ending April 17th – a 41.76 percent Decrease compared to the previous week. Unfortunately, that matches what my sources on the beach told me this week …

“Local hoteliers and business owners I’ve spoken to said the week leading up to April 17th isn’t nearly as busy as the previous two weeks – which means we could wait for some disappointing dates later this week,” I wrote on Sunday.

The workload was also unable to maintain the dynamics of the past week – only with 64.9 percent filled with spaces across the country. This number exceeded both the regional (62.8 percent) and national (57.3 percent) Prices – but was down 12.1 percent compared to the corresponding week in 2019. A week ago, occupancy rates actually exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

In the Myrtle Beach area the load factor was included 59.6 percent – down a steep one 31.1 percent from the previous week. Hopefully all of these numbers will improve sustainably in the peak months of the tourism season (May, June, July, August and September).

I’ve argued in many previous posts that South Carolina is well positioned to make up for its tourism losses in 2021 – provided state and local leaders commit to it lower taxes, Diversification of our goals, Cleaning up our beaches, Protect our history and reorientation towards public safety as a core function of government (especially in Charleston and Myrtle Beachwhere violence was widespread last year).

“South Carolina’s 187-mile coastline, anchored by scenic Hilton Head, historic Charleston and the inimitable Grand Strand, is a huge competitive advantage,” I said written down last fall. “It offers the palmetto state a tremendous opportunity to get out of the coronavirus recession on a more solid economic footing than many other states.”

*****

DON’T MISS A STORY … SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

*****

Ultimately, macroeconomic trends will determine the resilience of the rebound … and so far anecdotal evidence from the current week suggests additional inertia.

“It’s not busy at all,” a Myrtle Beach hotelier told me on Friday. “There are tourists in town, but it’s easy to drive down the boulevard, which is a sign that it’s not busy.”

Rain forecasts for this weekend are likely to depress the crowd further …

My news agency has warned time and again that 2021 is likely to bring “fewer guests who are spending less” to Palmetto State – a reality “companies should be prepared for”.

I look forward to keeping readers updated on these dates as we near the peak of the current season …

*****

ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

(Via: FITSNews)

Will folks is the founding editor of the news agency you are reading right now. Prior to founding FITSNews, he was the South Carolina Governor’s press secretary. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.

*****

WANNA SOUND OFF

Do you have something you would like to say in response to one of our stories? Or a problem that you want to proactively address? We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! Email your own letter to the editor (or the guest column) HERE. Do you have a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Do you have a technical question or a bug to report? CLICK HERE.

Banner: Getty