SOUTH CAROLINA, USA — The Palmetto State joined a list of exotic locations in a report recently released by the International Association of Golf Travel Operators.
According to the report, South Carolina is one of the top five golf destinations in the world.
South Carolina is home to over 350 courses, not to mention hosting various important golf tournaments like the PGA Championship in 2021 at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.
“South Carolina is known for our beaches and our golf,” South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism director Duane Parrish said. “That’s true stateside, and clearly with this incredible recognition, that’s true on an international level too. Drive through any golf course parking lot from Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head and you’ll spot license plates from states up and down the east coast. That net just continues to get wider and wider every year, as we welcome more golfers from across the US and all over the world thanks to the hard work of our golf industry. From the teams behind our iconic courses to the segments of the industry that make international golf travel to South Carolina so easy, like our tour operators and airports, so many people work together to make South Carolina a top destination for golf.”
Golf brought in an estimated $3.3 billion to the state's economy in 2021, according to the state's tourism industry.
“In South Carolina, we are blessed to have the winning combination of unparalleled natural beauty and hardworking people,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said in mid-February. “Our tourism industry protects and shares our natural and manmade treasures from the mountains to the coast, and provides authentic hospitality to our visitors."
The state is slowly recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic where total tourism dollars dipped from $24 billion in 2019 to $18.5 billion in 2020. In 2022, it came roaring back, bringing in about $29 billion.
The rest of the top five destinations were Cyprus, Dubai, Los Cabos in Mexico and Thailand.