Dr. Hudson chosen as featured speaker at African-American Tourism Conference

Don't miss Dr. Hudson's presentation on the current state of African-American tourism in South Carolina and the unique economic and cultural impact potential of future growth in this industry on the state. Dr. Hudson will present at this forum on September 26th, 2015 in beautiful Charleston, SC. To learn more and to register go to:http://scurbaneconomics.com/tourism/ .

The Center Welcomes Our Newest PhD Student: Jing Li

The SmartState Center is pleased to announce the arrival of our newest PhD student,  Jing Li. Jing's primary areas of interest are in destination branding and marketing, tourist behavior and social media. Prior to enrolling at USC, she received her B.S. degree in accounting and M.S. degree in tourism management from Shandong University, China. She previously worked as an intern in Dahua Tourism Consulting Company. She also worked in tourism planning of Lanzhou Geological Park and other rural tourism planning projects of the Shandong Province. During her free time, Jing likes swimming, playing badminton and traveling. Welcome Jing!

The Blurring of Business and Leisure Travel

The lines between business and leisure travel are becoming increasingly blurred. Fueled by the proliferation of mobile devices and the ability to stay connected, over half of business travelers now extend their business trips into leisure trips. This presents new opportunities for tourism and hospitality providers, but they need to configure their services to be flexible. This new article, written by Simon Hudson and published in Hotel Business Review, explains how hotels around the world are responding to this new generation of hyper-connected travelers who travel both for business and leisure. The full article can be found at:http://hotelexecutive.com/business_review/4506/hotels-respond-to-blurring-of-business-and-leisure-travel

SC tourism about more than beaches and golf!

It is true that SC is known for its pristine beaches and world class golf courses, but locals and tourists alike are beginning to recognize that SC has so much more to offer the visitor. Just following the 2nd Annual International Executive  Forum on Tourism Innovation and Entrepreneurship, co-hosted by USC, University of Aruba  and Armistad,  an article was published in the State Newspaper that recognizes these emerging opportunities in the tourism industry, especially the opportunity to rebuild SC's image with the removal of the confederate flag. The timing is right for positive change and ripe with the opportunities to build new tourism products in the state. For more, visit this link: http://www.thestate.com/news/business/article29903374.html

In January 2016, I will be setting sail around the world as part of the faculty for Semester at Sea, a shipboard campus that has a mission to ‘integrate multiple-country study, interdisciplinary coursework, and hands-on field experiences for meaningful engagement in the global community.’ I was lucky enough to teach on a Semester at Sea voyage back in 2006, and it’s an old cliché but it really was a life-changing experience. You can join me next year as a student or a ‘life-long learner’ as we visit 10 different countries including Japan, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, India and South Africa. For more information, go to: http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/spring-2016/

Hats off to another bright young intern, Alex Sizemore

On July 17th, 2015, Alex Sizemore, rising senior at the SC Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, presented a research poster titled “African American Tourism Patterns and Marketing Ethnically Focused Tourism in South Carolina.” Alex spent this summer conducting research on current trends and patterns within the African American tourism sector and identifying appropriate research methods to further explore the sector for the purposes of promoting quality of experiences while optimizing the economic impact. Alex’s research will contribute to the research base for an upcoming project schedule to launch in the fall of 2015, that shares the same focus. Great job, Alex!

Is South Carolina Retirement Friendly? New award hopes to find out.

Is South Carolina retirement friendly? The Center has been awarded a grant by the Economic Development Administration to explore that question and take it a step further by providing recommendations to strengthen South Carolina's brand as a competitive retirement destination. The results of this project will lead to a marketing plan to help rural counties state wide to better strategize and position themselves to utilize their resources effectively to attract migrating retirees. This year long project is scheduled to begin in August 2015.