Preserving and enhancing the city’s quality of life amidst a vibrant hospitality sector requires careful planning and management. The City of Charleston, a leader in tourism management, has embarked on an important process to update the City’s Tourism Management Plan. The first Tourism Management Plan in the country was adopted by the City in 1978 and subsequently updated in 1994 and 1998. The update to the plan is being led by the Department of Planning, Preservation & Sustainability with the assistance of an advisory committee of community leaders appointed by Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. The committee is chaired by Katherine S. Robinson, President and C.E.O. of the Historic Charleston Foundation. The committee began meeting in February and is expected to complete its work by the end of 2014.
A key element of the process of updating the plan is citizen input. The City is sponsoring a Tourism Management Forum to provide an opportunity for citizens to learn about the plan and share ideas which will then be incorporated into the plan. Mayor Riley stated “Maintaining the delicate balance between Charleston’s quality of life and the tourism economy is essential and a key objective of this planning process. I encourage the public to participate in this important meeting to help guide the development of the plan.”
The Tourism Management Forum will be held Monday, April 7, 2014 at 6:00 pm in the first floor board room of the Charleston County School District building at 75 Calhoun Street. The public is encouraged to attend.