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CVB unveils plan to make Gville a major Tourist destination.


vicupstate

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One thing I think might be a good idea for cities in s.c. is to have more commercials aimed at out of state tourism. Often when i'm out of town I've notice commercials for other states. Such as Asheville, N.C. , Daytona and Orlando Fla, I even saw a commercial once for Charleston, West Virgina. But I've never seen a commercial for any city in S.C. besides Myrtle Beach. I think this would be a good ideal to promote more out of state tourisms.

I think that is a great idea too and would be very pleased to see commercials for our area when sitting in my parent's living room in Annapolis! I would expect that somthing like that is being considered, but must await better planning first. That old addage of be careful of what you wish for, as you just might get it would translate into gettting a ton of tourists into the area without a plan for how best to make sure they enjoy their stay and spend money on our local businesses.

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WOW! Thanks for the repost on this!

This is the first time that I have read this document and I am VERY impressed. I could not possibly imagine a better future for Greenville or a more accurate representation of our assets and really, REALLY, hope that we do all that we can to realize this vision.

Top notch effort to all who put this together! :thumbsup:

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  • 1 month later...

As regards tourism, I had an interesting conversation with my seat mate on my flight home yesterday on the Chicago-Atlanta leg.

She owned a travel agency / travel planning firm in Atlanta. We were casually chatting, I mentioned I had moved to Greenville some years back and she got this large smile and said "You're one of our top weekend destinations". ("Our" meaning Atlantans I found out later). She went on to explain, for the Atlanta crowd, the top 5 weekend "driving" destinations were Cashiers-Highlands, Asheville, Greenville, Chattanooga and Savannah. I grilled her for answers (politely of course :) ). Apparently for the 100K to 150K demographic (and above), Greenville is a favorite. I ask her why, and her response was "probably the same reason you seem to love Greenville".......downtown, sophistication level, restaurants, shops, events, arts, natural features, etc, etc.

She knew our downtown well and knew restaurant names, opening, etc. She was asking me all kinds of questions and asking for my opinion on certain restaurants.

One thing I did find odd, was the weekend locations. No beach locations came up. She said for most Atlantans, the beaches aren't simply a weekend trip, but a longer trip, and that yes, mulitple beaches were top destinations period.

Apparently, her office receives multiple phone inquiries daily as regards Greenville.

In her opinion, Greenville had made quite the name and was a good buzzword with affluent Atlantans. I told her to check out UP, that UP was a wealth of information. Very nice conversation.

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One thing I did find odd, was the weekend locations. No beach locations came up. She said for most Atlantans, the beaches aren't simply a weekend trip, but a longer trip, and that yes, mulitple beaches were top destinations period.

I think us native S. Carolinians get it drubbed into us at a fairly early age that the beach is the place to go for a quick getaway, and due to distance, folks as close as Atlanta just don't see it that way. The SC coast is 3.5 to 4 hours away, from the Upstate, only two from the Midlands. We have it real nice here in regards to proximity to the mountains and the shore.

The sea islands of Georgia are a 6+ hour drive from Atlanta when traffic is fine, up to 8 sometimes. We do have geographic advantages.

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As regards tourism, I had an interesting conversation with my seat mate on my flight home yesterday on the Chicago-Atlanta leg.

She owned a travel agency / travel planning firm in Atlanta. We were casually chatting, I mentioned I had moved to Greenville some years back and she got this large smile and said "You're one of our top weekend destinations". ("Our" meaning Atlantans I found out later). She went on to explain, for the Atlanta crowd, the top 5 weekend "driving" destinations were Cashiers-Highlands, Asheville, Greenville, Chattanooga and Savannah. I grilled her for answers (politely of course :) ). Apparently for the 100K to 150K demographic (and above), Greenville is a favorite. I ask her why, and her response was "probably the same reason you seem to love Greenville".......downtown, sophistication level, restaurants, shops, events, arts, natural features, etc, etc.

She knew our downtown well and knew restaurant names, opening, etc. She was asking me all kinds of questions and asking for my opinion on certain restaurants.

One thing I did find odd, was the weekend locations. No beach locations came up. She said for most Atlantans, the beaches aren't simply a weekend trip, but a longer trip, and that yes, mulitple beaches were top destinations period.

Apparently, her office receives multiple phone inquiries daily as regards Greenville.

In her opinion, Greenville had made quite the name and was a good buzzword with affluent Atlantans. I told her to check out UP, that UP was a wealth of information. Very nice conversation.

This would seem to jive with the huge number of Georga license plates that I see parked on Main Street, in the parking garages downtown, and on the streets/highways around the area every weekend throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

This is kinda funny: I was chatting with one of my colleagues from our Atlanta office this past week and found out that he is coming over for labor day weekend. I asked if he was coming for the U.S. Professional Cycling Championships and he replied, "No...I'm just coming just to visit with some friends and my wife and kids for a long weekend getaway. Are those races the same weekend? WOW! I got so wrapped up with work that I didn't realize it was the same weekend. I bet George Hincapie is the hometown favorite! We'll definitely have to take in the races, too!!!" Turns out that he's a bit of a cycling enthusiast. I would loved to have met up with him, but I'm going to be out of town for one of my best friend's wedding the same weekend.

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This is kinda funny: I was chatting with one of my colleagues from our Atlanta office this past week and found out that he is coming over for labor day weekend. I asked if he was coming for the U.S. Professional Cycling Championships and he replied, "No...I'm just coming just to visit with some friends and my wife and kids for a long weekend getaway. Are those races the same weekend? WOW! I got so wrapped up with work that I didn't realize it was the same weekend. I bet George Hincapie is the hometown favorite! We'll definitely have to take in the races, too!!!" Turns out that he's a bit of a cycling enthusiast. I would loved to have met up with him, but I'm going to be out of town for one of my best friend's wedding the same weekend.

Cool. :thumbsup:

Tell him to be on the lookout for UP photographers, and we'll show him around. :)

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Thanks to G-man for posting this week's TBA's on the web.

This one spoke volumes to me about Greenville doing something right:

-Numerous members of the state Republican Caucus will descend on downtown Greenville for the group's annual retreat next week. This is the first time the group has held the retreat outside of the coast, and some believe it will have a big political and ultimately economic impact on Greenville...

Are people waking up and realizing potential beyond the coast? Political leaders is a great place to start convincing that Greenville is more than another city in the state. :thumbsup:

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Are people waking up and realizing potential beyond the coast? Political leaders is a great place to start convincing that Greenville is more than another city in the state. :thumbsup:

It is funny that you say that, because I recently saw a South Carolina tourism commercial on television. Perhaps most of you have seen it before, but it was the first time I noticed it. It's the one where they say "when is the last time you were called ma'am instead of mom?" as well as some other stupid voice-overs. Anyway, I paid particular attention to the images shown, and they were almost exclusively pictures of the beach. One looked to be of Charleston, with a horse-drawn carriage in front of a historic-looking background. They did have one picture of the mountains, which I believe might have been Caesar's head. Aside from the brief picture of the upstate mountains, I saw nothing that was of Greenville, Columbia, etc. Pretty much all beach/coastal pictures.

It made me think about how short-sighted the commercial is (and thus, how short-sighted some of our state's leaders might be). I realize that our state is known for having good beaches and we should not ignore that. But we also have tons more to do than just sit on the beach and be called "ma'am." While the brains behind the commercial would probably defend themselves by saying that most SC tourism comes from the beaches, I think they deserve part of the blame for failing to flaunt other SC assets as well. Just my $0.02...

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That really burns me up to hear about our money consistently being poured into other regions while our own region is such an important player in several industries as well. I had a strong gut feeling upon initially hearing about this new awareness campaign that this would happen. I don't have a problem with the Coastal region receiving due attention, however it is completely inappropriate to market that region alone while the entire state together has so much to offer in one package. I'm sure there are lots of people out there who are less interested in the allure of the Atlantic beaches and would rather know about this state's culture, industries, commerce, and yes even its mountains. We are so fortunate to have great local leadership right now, considering the lack of consideration we receive from the state government. Our local leaders are aggressively working to promote the best we have to offer and their voice is being heard in many places around the world. And what they miss, business professionals and proud citizens are covering in the informative and educational campaigning for this part of the state. Fortunately we are witnessing a tremendous success rate as a result of these efforts and without the support of wealthy state funding. I would just love to not have my money used to support another region's industry alone though.

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The upstate in general, and Greenville in particular, are just starting to 'come around' to the idea of pursuing tourism in a big way. We must FIRST look to develop our region as a tourist draw before the state can be expected to invest in expensive vacation-oriented commercials like those mentioned.

Charleston didn't use to be the hotbed of tourism that it is today, it was developed over many years. The same will have to happen here before it would be justifiable to market the area for 'vacation' tourism (as opposed to weekend getaway promotion).

We have a master plan to do it, we just need to execute it. If we do, the PRT folks will take notice and do their part.

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The upstate in general, and Greenville in particular, are just starting to 'come around' to the idea of pursuing tourism in a big way. We must FIRST look to develop our region as a tourist draw before the state can be expected to invest in expensive vacation-oriented commercials like those mentioned.

Charleston didn't use to be the hotbed of tourism that it is today, it was developed over many years. The same will have to happen here before it would be justifiable to market the area for 'vacation' tourism (as opposed to weekend getaway promotion).

We have a master plan to do it, we just need to execute it. If we do, the PRT folks will take notice and do their part.

You really think so? That will take quite some time. Weekend getaway or not, do we not deserve air time?

Maybe that must also happen for Greenville to have pictures on the State Government website, too? The Liberty Bridge, Falls Park, the Riverwalk, Main Street, and downtown vivacity in general apparently not things that the State supports or thinks are worthy of representing our state. :dontknow:

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The upstate in general, and Greenville in particular, are just starting to 'come around' to the idea of pursuing tourism in a big way. We must FIRST look to develop our region as a tourist draw before the state can be expected to invest in expensive vacation-oriented commercials like those mentioned.

Charleston didn't use to be the hotbed of tourism that it is today, it was developed over many years. The same will have to happen here before it would be justifiable to market the area for 'vacation' tourism (as opposed to weekend getaway promotion).

We have a master plan to do it, we just need to execute it. If we do, the PRT folks will take notice and do their part.

The point is that the state of South Carolina, as a whole, caters to the Lowcountry because of a perception that it is the most popular, most prosperous, and basically just the best part of the state. That was made crystal clear in the earlier discussion about Greenville hosting the upcoming Republican caucus. I can't seem to find the link, but it stated that some attendees were against the idea of having it in Greenville because they thought all there was to do was play golf and eat at fast-food restaurants. These are South Carolina residents! I don't know whether to blame them for their ignorance of the largest metro area in the state, or blame tourism marketing (from both Greenville and South Carolina offices) for not getting the message out. Either way, it's sad and we have a lot of work to do.

Sometimes I wonder if we are doing a better job creating awareness of Greenville outside this state than we are in it. And perhaps that is a good thing...

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The upstate in general, and Greenville in particular, are just starting to 'come around' to the idea of pursuing tourism in a big way. We must FIRST look to develop our region as a tourist draw before the state can be expected to invest in expensive vacation-oriented commercials like those mentioned.

The state needs to wake up to what it has in the Upstate and put dollars there for tourism promotion. Greenville has done an excellent job at promoting itself for weekend travel. Having a prominent location between Charlotte and Atlanta have helped, as has the national recognition from the golf and cycling communities.

Greenville shouldn't have to develop anything additional to receive our fair share of state funds. We pay our taxes. The yokels in state government need to get it together and fund adverstising on an equal (or at least fair) basis for all regions. Thank God the Greenville area has some go-getters, because the state.......well......it is South Carolina.

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Greenville shouldn't have to develop anything additional to receive our fair share of state funds. We pay our taxes. The yokels in state government need to get it together and fund adverstising on an equal (or at least fair) basis for all regions. Thank God the Greenville area has some go-getters, because the state.......well......it is South Carolina.

Well said! :thumbsup:

I have a friend here who grew up in Charleston and has never been to Greenville. I have obviously told her about Greenville and some of the great things our city has going for it. She recently said, "Greenville sounds really nice and progressive. It doesn't seem as Southern as the rest of the state, which is a good thing." She went on to say that she would like to visit sometime.

Contrast her unfamiliarity with Greenville with most South Carolina residents' knowledge of Charleston. Not even close! Fortunately, I know that the people who are truly "plugged in" (both in SC as well as in the southeast) are very aware of Greenville and know how great a place it is. :)

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Greenville needs no stinkin' TV commercials! When was the last time you believed anything in a commercial? Word-of-mouth information seems to be working effectively and is more honest and genuine. I do wish to see the tourism plans implemented, but not necessarily included in the mainstream media. Money can be better spent than that.

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The state needs to wake up to what it has in the Upstate and put dollars there for tourism promotion. Greenville has done an excellent job at promoting itself for weekend travel. Having a prominent location between Charlotte and Atlanta have helped, as has the national recognition from the golf and cycling communities.

Greenville shouldn't have to develop anything additional to receive our fair share of state funds. We pay our taxes. The yokels in state government need to get it together and fund adverstising on an equal (or at least fair) basis for all regions. Thank God the Greenville area has some go-getters, because the state.......well......it is South Carolina.

TV commercials are VERY expensive. You don't use them to advertise a product, that let's face it, does NOT exist. No one would take a week's vacation in Greenville.

Stop by for a visit on the way somewhere else, yes. Come in for a day or two or maybe a long weekend, yes. Stay for a week - no. The state goes more bang for it's buck with longer-stay visitors. That is why the expensive tools are used to get them. You can't justify spending air time on getting a few more overnight visitor's.

The reason the legislators don't think Gville has anything to offer as a convention site, is because just a few years ago it was true. It wasn't that long ago that Falls Park was hidden by a bridge and the West End field was a hugh eyesore. It takes TIME and EXPOSURE to get the word out to people that don't even live here.

Only in the last few years has Gville even attempted to cultivate a true leisure-tourist economy. It's going to take time to get to the level places like Charleston are at now. Only then will TV ads be justified.

Getting the 'Go Greenville' master plan implemented is the first order of business. Once we have matured as a tourist market, THEN the TV commercials will come into the picture. At this stage, we have no more justification than Columbia for getting the big budget expenditures from PRT.

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^ Did the mountains and lakes just pop out of the ground a few years ago? :dontknow:

State officials need to realize that for every rich retired person who chooses to vacation at the beach, there is an equal number of affluent D.I.N.K. couples who love the mountains and the proximity of great restaurants, hotels and shopping that Greenville has to offer.

My point has nothing to do with TV commercials, or if Greenville's tourism is as developed as Charlestons or Myrtle Beach (we all know it isn't and won't ever be).

My point is that people in our state offices are asleep, if they don't see the goldmine of tourism opportunity in the area. Private groups have noticed. BMW and it's homecoming. The cycling world. The golfing world. Wealthy Atlanta "Buckhead" weekenders. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Greenville (the area in a broad sense) is deserving of a fair share of the budget. Greenville is in a geographically beautiful area and there is much to offer. While Charleston can offer history and beaches, Charleston can not offer the cycling scene, kayaking, climbing, etc, etc. I'm not really sure what the middle of the state has to offer unique.

The state is not capitalizing on its full potential in all regions.

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If I wanted a weekend in the mountains, I wouldn't come to Greenville. Getting up and driving 45 minutes to a hour to go to the mountains would be a waste of precious weekend time. That's what Asheville, Highlands, Cashiers or Boone are for. If I wanted a lake experience for the weekend, coming to Greenville is out of the way, best just go to Seneca or such for that.

Sorry, this is just silly. Billions of dollars come to South Carolina from people coming to Myrtle Beach, Charleston or Hilton Head. Visiting Falls Park, a show at the Peace Center or what not is a wonderful experience for a couple of days or so, but you won't draw millions from Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia or Kentucky for it. I'm glad folks visit and have a nice time, but as a long term tourist destination, Greenville just doesn't have it at the moment.

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Shock....Greenville County throws in almost a billion to the pot in tourism dollars.

Check out this link and the facts and figures.

http://www.scprt.com/files/Research/2006%2...t%208-20-07.pdf

The top four counties:

Domestic travel expenditures in Horry County for 2006 / 2.9 Billion

Domestic travel expenditures in Charleston County for 2006 / 1.5 Billion

Domestic travel expenditures in Beaufort County for 2006 / 958.1 million

Domestic travel expenditures in Greenville County for 2006 / 828.6 million (Add in the other Upstate Counties and that is some major tourist dollars flowing in to this region, about the equivalent of Charleston).

We can either get behind tourism and promote the beauty and positives of this region, or we can think it's silly. Years ago people thought building casinos in the desert of Nevada was silly and hey.....look what they have today. If we believe in growing the tourism of our area, we should challenge the state for more funds, not sit by and say "we aren't a destination".

But to my original point, at a state level, if you look at the dollars coming in, the state needs to do more than offer one token photo of a mountain. :thumbsup:

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