Protecting Charleston's Future by Advocating for Responsible Tourism
Historic Charleston Foundation actively participates in the tourism business—but not at the expense of our residents. Successful, responsible tourism leads to increased visits to our house museums and participation in the Charleston Festival every spring. It hopefully inspires visitors and locals alike to better understand the power of preservation to fuel community livability and economic development simultaneously. We truly enjoy celebrating Charleston’s unique history, culture, and architecture with our guests. Tourism, when managed properly, is fundamental to the sustained preservation of our city.
However, when tourism runs rampant and unchecked, the consequences can lead to dire impacts on everyday livability for locals. We are certainly not there yet, but recent protests and walk-outs in Europe this summer in reaction to too many tourists are a case in point! It is critical to find an intentional balance between visitors and residents to enhance the quality of life for everyone.
Moving towards a healthy balance between tourism and livability is the primary goal of HCF’s partnership with the City of Charleston, Bloomberg Associates and Explore Charleston—and was the topic of HCF’s Future of Responsible Tourism Forum on May 20th at the Charleston Museum. At the event, we heard directly from the Mayor that City Hall is prioritizing this critical balance since this Bloomberg initiative falls squarely within his “Residents First” campaign promise.
George Fertitta, the CEO of Bloomberg Associates, along with his colleagues Gordon Innes and Kate Levin, presented a sneak peek into the City of Charleston’s Future of Livability and Responsible Tourism initiative. Bloomberg Associates, the consulting arm of Bloomberg Philanthropies, works at no cost with city leaders around the world to help solve complex urban challenges. Charleston is fortunate to be able to tap into their expertise, and HCF is excited to be a partner.
With more than 130 people in attendance at the forum, thought leaders, neighborhood associations, residents and experts from Bloomberg Associates engaged in more than an hour of discussion about challenges, opportunities, and case studies from around the world—with the intention of laying the groundwork for enhancing livability as we continue to welcome visitors into Charleston.
Bloomberg’s message: Destination management should balance the needs of both visitors and residents. Charleston can learn from the experience and interventions put in place in other destinations around the world. The following examples were highlighted at the forum:
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The audience was asked to assess in real time which examples resonated the most from Bloomberg’s examples. The key takeaway from the responses was a desire to see more respect from visitors.
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What sets Charleston apart from many other historic tourist destinations is that the historic district is comprised of living, breathing neighborhoods with an active residential community that deserves respectful behavior. The local community, along with the collection of historic buildings, are part of the draw for visitors. Therefore, the balance between residential livability and the visitor experience is vital to the sustainability of the tourism industry in Charleston.
The Foundation has been at the forefront of managing and planning for tourism impacts to residents since the first tourism plan was adopted by the City of Charleston in 1978. Proactive and strategic planning around managing tourism is at the heart of what we do, and we will continue to work to ensure the residents come first when it comes to the future of tourism in Charleston.
We are also very interested in re-centering cultural and historic sites as key assets that represent the unique character of Charleston. Collectively, our house museums, plantation sites, art museums, and cultural festivals feature the best of the city where visitors can best engage with the complex fabric of our history. We are thrilled to have Kate Levin, the leader of Cultural Asset Management for Bloomberg, helping us with this particular aspect of the project.
As part of this initiative, we continue to meet with city staff, Explore Charleston and Bloomberg representatives. The city and Bloomberg plan to release a draft of their assessment in the Fall of 2025 with the goal of folding these recommendations into a new tourism management plan that the city will undertake with the community.
We will guide you through every opportunity to engage. Please send any comments or requests to Lisa Jones, HCF’s Director of Advocacy at ljones@historiccharleston.org, and we will be sure that they are included as part of Bloomberg’s analysis.
And thank you for your continued support as we move together towards a future of responsible tourism.
Did you miss the May 20 Future of Responsible Tourism Forum? Don’t worry! You can watch the FULL video here:
Historic Charleston Foundation is able to continue to stay focused on pressing issues, like growth and development and tourism management in Charleston, thanks to the generous support of community members LIKE YOU. Make a gift to the Foundation to support this mission-driven work, and the Foundation's dedicated staff, online, or discover other ways to give.