Visit Beaufort and Hilton Head chamber outline tourism strategy, data-driven marketing and ATAX funding use

Rob Wells (Visit Beaufort) and Ariana Pernice (Hilton Head Island–Bluffton Chamber) presented the region’s tourism marketing plans, ATAX allocations and measurement tools during the April 20 county budget workshop.

Wells said total investment for fiscal year 2024–25 was about $1.3 million and that Beaufort County’s share in certain distributions was approximately 42%. He reported $457,000 in actuals to date and said two additional quarters remain for year-end distributions. Wells described how 76% of DMO funds are spent on marketing and promotion, and he emphasized partner referrals (about 420,000) as a key performance metric rather than direct online booking from the DMO site.

Both presenters described an increased emphasis on data and AI-driven channels: geofencing and Placer AI to understand visitor origin and behavior, improvements to website back ends for AI discoverability, and expansion of video and social content (including a podcast with 130+ episodes and about 53,000 listens). Pernice said the chamber aims to combine offline materials (vacation planner books distributed through AAA and welcome centers) with targeted digital marketing and PR placements to attract visitors in shoulder seasons and to support quality-of-visitor goals.

Council members questioned the provenance and allocation of destination fees and ATAX distributions; the presenters committed to providing more detailed breakdowns and to follow up with the council on a county-level accounting of tourism-related fees and cooperative state programs.

Next steps: DMOs will provide requested accounting details, and their budget requests will be included in the administrators’ recommended budget and the county’s upcoming budget workshops.