Tourists stepping from the city parking garage on Ann Street will find a Charleston "Welcome Center" full of free maps, brochures to area attractions and a smiling staff waiting to answer questions.
The center's mission, however, isn't the same as the official Charleston Visitor Center just across the street. The Welcome Center is run by Asheville-based Festiva Hospitality Group, and its end game is to sell time-share vacations.
At least eight privately run visitor information centers have popped up around the Holy City in recent years, dispensing advice and vouchers in return for a sales pitch for time shares and vacation clubs.
Those involved in the industry say these operations provide a valuable service to visitors. They bring thousands of tourists to Charleston each year for presentations and steer thousands more to local tour operators, restaurants and other businesses that directly profit as a result, supporters said.
Critics, including the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, fear that this marketing scheme confuses visitors, subjects them to aggressive sales tactics and steers them only toward attractions that honor industry coupons.
Helen Hill, executive director of the visitors bureau, said she has fielded several complaints over the years from upset folks who mistakenly thought her nonprofit organization was hawking time shares to them.
"The key is that they be as upfront as possible about what they are trying to do," she said. "We don't want visitors to leave with a bad experience or a bad taste in their mouth about Charleston."
The complaints center around people being hounded by salesmen on city sidewalks, businesses misrepresenting themselves as official city tourism sites and vacation clubs that don't follow through with promised vouchers, she said.
The city amended its peddlers ordinance to deal with aggressive soliciting, and violations carry a penalty of about $1,100 each, Herdina said.
Police also have talked to companies accused of misrepresenting themselves, and the city is looking into requiring host businesses to display their actual names more prominently on visitor information centers, Herdina said.
Officials already have erected a sign in front of the Festiva Welcome Center directing people to the "official" visitor center across the road.
Florida-based Bluegreen Corp. ushered this marketing tool to Charleston when it opened its Meeting Street Visitors Center in 2002. Its premise was simple: Get tourists in the door by offering city maps, directions and tour bookings, and then try to sell them time-share units in Bluegreen's Lodge Alley Inn.
Other companies latched onto the idea, and some have even refined the concept, offering free water, ATM services and other gimmicks to lure people in.
"Collectively, I think this industry brings in thousands of tourists each month who would not come here otherwise," said Bill Macchio, who publishes the Charleston Vacation Guide and helps Shirley with marketing.
David Compton, owner of Old South Carriage Co., said he gets dozens of customers each week as a result of Vacation Station vouchers. "It's really helped us a lot."
E-Mail
Print
The Sun News Terms & Conditions and Commenting Policies can be reviewed here.