Georgetown County bucks the pandemic trend, breaks tourism record

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Throughout the pandemic we have seen a downward trend in most things. A big one is tourism across the globe.

But, Georgetown County isn’t falling into that category!

It actually saw a record-breaking tourism year with $2.5 million in the state accommodations tax numbers.

That tax is what people pay when they check into a vacation rental or hotel.
The money is then re-invested in the area.

Georgetown County stretches from Murrells Inlet all the way to the City of Georgetown.

Over the last five years, the economy has grown. Leaders say a good portion of that is actually due to the pandemic.
That’s because it has caused people to slow down, leading some to stopping in Georgetown County to enjoy amenities.

That is also leading to a housing shortage in the area, particularly on the beach-side properties.

“What people are going to see in the next decade is development on the other side of the county the river side on the other side of the bridge,” said Jackie Broach, the Public Information Officer at Georgetown County.

In the last ten years, the population of the county has only grown about 3,500 people.

But, officials expect that’ll change soon. When tourism increases, that means local residents pay less in state and local taxes.

Officials estimate that Georgetown Countians pay about $1,500 less annually in those taxes because of the money tourists bring to their county and state.

Some of those hotspots for vacationers have included Pawleys Island, Litchfield Beach and Brookgreen Gardens.

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