I'll admit...I was guilty of being over supportive of the new crop of Governors "getting" what it means to have a vibrant Tourism economy. While there were a number of strong moves to support the industry among the rookies, we're now seeing some troubling actors take the stage.
Case in point: New South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley addressed her State's Tourism Conference and bashed Myrtle Beach's 1% Tourism Tax as bad for business.
Errr, except that the promotion powered by that new revenue has generated record-breaking business for the Grand Strand. No other South Carolina destination has seen the kind of business that Brad Dean's Myrtle Beach Chamber has been able to generate since the tax went into effect.
Haley's position is nothing more than her wish to eliminate obstacles to create a 1% State Tax, ostensibly to do what the Myrtle Beach Tax does, without proof that the State can generate the kind of results thatr a local DMO can.
Hey Nikki...let the locals do what they do best (as WMBF said). The proof is right there in the Grand Strand. MyBeach.
In a a word. Ok Two. Tea Party. MUST HAVE TAX CUTS
Posted by: Charles Lehmann | March 02, 2011 at 13:00