TOURISM CONSULTANT: SRS HERITAGE CENTER IS "IMPORTANT INITIATIVE"

Here come the tourists!

The Foundation proposal to establish the SRS Heritage Center at the Savannah River Site has been identified as ‘an important initiative” and an outstanding opportunity by an international tourism consulting firm. Tourism Development International, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, performed the multi-year study for the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

On October 8th, the consultants unveiled their recommendations for the Scenic Savannah River Region that includes Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens and McCormick counties. The recommendations included two “Flagship” properties, the Savannah River Site Experience and the Aiken International Equestrian Complex, to broaden and diversify tourism in this region. The Savannah River Site Experience includes the SRS Heritage Center proposed by the Foundation. The consultants referred repeatedly to Heritage Foundation proposals and suggested several enhancements, including increased emphasis on the environmental component, sustainable energy and family fun activities.

Full implementation of the consultant’s recommendations is predicted to lead to an “increase in visitor spending to close to $500 million."

The full 66-MB report is available for download from SCPRT.