By: Natalie M. Zeigler
City Manager
Walking down Fifth Street or Carolina Ave, many can notice our bustling downtown with its many business owners, visitors, and residents. Tourism is booming and visitor traffic has increased. Our city is gleaming with pride after winning our second All-America City title- and it shows! Recently, it has been reported that there has been a 5.8% increase in Hospitality Tax funds and a 37.2% increase in Local Accommodations Tax funds. This investment by visitors and residents will mean an even greater investment in the community as these funds are appropriated to the use of tourism related activities.
Accommodations taxes are collected both by the State of South Carolina and the City of Hartsville. A Local Hospitality Tax is also collected by the City of Hartsville. The City of Hartsville collects a local 3% accommodations tax on hotel/motel charges within the city’s limits and a local 2% hospitality tax on sales of prepared foods and beverages sold within the city which is collected from the customer and forwarded by the vendor to the city. These funds are distributed for a variety of purposes, including advertising, promotion and tourism. Taxes such as these are invested in our city and in making our city a more attractive place for residents and visitors to live, work, and play.
June of this year, Local Hospitality Tax Grants were awarded to several applicants that promote tourism, arts and cultural events, and civic activities. Eligible applicants include public and private nonprofit organizations that promote tourism, the arts and cultural events as well as facilities and services for civic and cultural activities, or support for tourist-related services. Among those awarded were the Black Creek Arts Council for Renofest and other events and programs, New Vision Community Development for the Annual Rice Festival, the Center Theater, and the Hartsville YMCA for their community events such as Loop da Ville. The grant funds awarded among all organizations totaled $15,000. This is a large invest in our community’s activities and tourist attractions. These organizations among others strive to make Hartsville a thriving and active city.
The City of Hartsville’s Tourism Department further acts as a resource and provides services to our city’s residents and visitors. The department is housed at our visitors center, the Key located at 106 E Carolina Ave., next to City Hall. The Key’s staff are available during business hours to provide information on our city’s notable tourism attractions as well as our community events and happenings. The Key is open Monday through Friday from 11 am to 5pm. Additionally, Hartsville area specific items are available for purchase including local artisan products and logo wear for the City of Hartsville, Coker College, the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, Hartsville High School, and the Darlington Raceway. Visit the Key for your Hartsville wear and contact staff with any questions or information regarding tourism at 843.917.0602.
In the last few short years, our city has transformed and grown to become a thriving tourism center. We have captured the attention of many both in our region and in our state. We boast several beautiful hot spots for entertainment and recreation. We possess many wonderful shopping and dining locations within our city’s limits. Our downtown’s aesthetics attract many visitors and residents to enjoy all our downtown has to offer. We are immensely proud of our growth and look forward to the future of our city.
Natalie Zeigler is the City Manager of Hartsville. For more information, call City Hall at 843-383-3015 or email info2@hartsvillesc.gov.