Charleston tourism faces disruption from hurricane threats

Even without direct landfall, hurricanes can significantly impact the tourism industry in Charleston. Uncertainty regarding storm paths leads visitors to postpone, cancel, or shorten trips.

According to Daniel Guttentag, director of the College of Charleston’s Office of Tourism Analysis, hotel occupancy in the Charleston area can drop between 10 percent and 40 percent depending on the severity of the weather threat. The timing of a storm also plays a critical role; weekend storms tend to cause greater losses than midweek storms because leisure travelers typically concentrate their stays around the weekend.