Despite festivals, farmers markets and other events being sidelined for much of the year, tourism in Anderson County has flourished in 2020 thanks to fishing.
Coming off a record-setting year in 2019, Visit Anderson was able to reschedule fishing tournaments that cancelled in the spring, host its full slate of planned fall tournaments, and even pick up two new events that moved from other locations. The high-profile industry events included the American Bass Anglers 2020 Ray Scott Championship, FLW’s college and high school series and FLW’s Bass Fishing League All-American Championship.
“The fishing industry is one of the few out there that has completely flourished during this pandemic,” said Neil Paul, Director of Visit Anderson, the county’s tourism bureau. “Boat and tackle sales are through the roof. Many companies in the fishing industry have had above average or record years because so many people have stepped back and gotten outdoors, and that’s translated into the tournament business.”
Visit Anderson uses a $175 per day spend by a visiting professional angler when calculating economic impact. Using that figure, Anderson County will benefit from 2020 fishing tournaments to the tune of $3 million to $5 million. Fishing tournaments alone accounted for more than 5,000 room nights in Anderson County between mid-August and mid-November 2020 – a number that includes hotels, campgrounds, Airbnb’s and Vrbo’s.
“In a pandemic year, that’s an incredible number,” Paul said. “I always joke with people that fishermen were social distancing before they knew what it was.”
Formed 16 years ago, Visit Anderson brings visitors and tourism dollars to the county by recruiting events such as the South Carolina High School Wrestling Tournament, Dixie Youth Baseball tournaments, and soliciting state and regional meetings, group travel and motor coach business.
But the fishing industry, by far, has been the most lucrative in the sports tourism market, thanks to the county’s greatest asset – Lake Hartwell.
“The best advice I received when I got this job was ‘sell what you’ve got,’” said Paul, who served as interim director of Visit Anderson for 16 months before being named director in 2016. “Lake Hartwell was the greatest asset in our county, and I knew fishing and was beginning to really understand the business side of fishing.”
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 10.5 million people utilize Lake Hartwell on an annual basis. By comparison, the most visited national park in the country is the Great Smoky Mountains which draws 12 million visitors annually.
And while the sheer size and usage of Lake Hartwell are tremendous strengths, Paul says the keys to Anderson County’s tourism success are first-class facilities, first-class hospitality and a solid working relationship between Visit Anderson and Anderson County’s Parks & Recreation Department.
It was Anderson County’s completion of Green Pond Landing in 2014 that provided the glue that brought the lake and the community together for a stronger sell, Paul said.
“We have worked together so long and so well with the county parks and recreation department and our community volunteers, that we have created an expectation of great customer service that really sets us apart.”
Paul illustrates his point with a story about an out-of-state angler who made it to Anderson but was having trouble with his truck. He pulled into a local tire store for assistance where the owner loaned the visitor his personal truck to run errands while they repaired his.
“You don’t see that spirit of giving just anywhere you go,” Paul said. “There are a lot of other communities with lakes, but we continue to separate ourselves from everyone else by how people are treated when they’re here. That’s a kindness that you can’t fake.”
As for 2021, fishing tournaments are on the books and Visit Anderson is ready to welcome an increase in the county’s 2,000 hotel rooms with completion of the Home2Suites by Hilton downtown and Marriott Residence Inn on I-85.
“We have unique meeting space downtown with the Bleckley properties, which are second to none,” Paul said. “The Home2Suites adds to our hotel inventory and gives us another way to bring people downtown.”
For more information, go to VisitAnderson.com.
