View From Afar S1, E7: IPW 2025 | Helen Hill, Executive Director of Explore Charleston

I’m Billie Cohen, Afar’s editorial director, and welcome to View From Afar, a podcast that spotlights the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. And in this special series, I’m coming to you live from the floor of IPW, the annual travel conference organized by the U.S. Travel Association to share the best of America with the rest of the world.

This year the conference is held in Chicago. And it’s an interesting year to be talking about the United States: In March 2025, data from the World Travel & Tourism Council showed that international visits to the U.S. had decreased, resulting in an estimated $12 billion loss in tourism revenue. At the same time, the country is gearing up for America’s 250th anniversary—and the energy is palpable. So at IPW, my colleague Michelle Baran and I sat down with travel industry CEOs to bring you the biggest conference news and insights and to share what’s on the horizon for America’s 250th birthday.

You’ll hear each of those conversations over the following week.

In this episode, I’m thrilled to catch up with Helen Hill, president and CEO of Explore Charleston. Helen has led the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for decades and was recently selected to join the executive board of the U.S. Travel Association, giving her the opportunity to think both locally and nationally about tourism engagement and promotion.

She has been credited with transforming Charleston into a highly sought-after international tourism destination and is in the unique position to discuss how formerly under-the-radar locales can successfully stake their spot on the global travel map.

We will talk more about that—and, of course, the city’s plans to celebrate America’s anniversary.

Transcript

Billie: Welcome, Helen. Thank you so much for joining us.

Helen: Thank you so much. It’s an honor to be here.

Billie: I do want to just jump right into some amazing success— that you guys just released a report on Explore Charleston that showed that tourism in the city hit amazing new heights in 2024. You broke records with the number of hotel nights sold and a new record of the number of passengers who are flying into the city, as well as the economic impact of tourism on the city.

So, that’s amazing. Why do you think Charleston has had such success in capturing the imagination of its visitors and of potential visitors?

Helen: Well, it’s clear that Charleston, South Carolina, is sort of having a moment, in our 350-year history. You know, Charleston was founded back in 1670, and our team says that our best 20 years is ahead of us.

And I think this economic impact report was a wonderful sign, because the thing that we’re probably the most proud of is that we had higher-yield visits. So it wasn’t about increasing the number of people, it was about increasing the opportunities that tourism brings to the community.

Billie: Oh, what were the magic levers that you pulled to make this all come together?

Helen: Well, I really give the credit to our beautiful properties. If you think about the new opportunities that we have for luxury accommodations in Charleston, we’re getting ready to open the Cooper Hotel, which is beautiful, on the Charleston Harbor, which will be particularly fun as we approach America 250, as well as we have a new Four Seasons coming. We’ve just really been able to make an impact in that luxury space.

Billie: Yeah. So you said, I’m gonna get back to America 250, thanks for bringing that up. But you said your team had discussed that Charleston’s having a moment and it’s the next 20 years. But I feel like that moment has been building for a long time. How did you get there? What were some of the either projects or storytelling or campaigns that you put out to help that coalesce?

Helen: Well, I would really give credit to two things. The first was deciding to get into the air service development business. And we realized about 2010 that if we didn’t actively participate in opening access that we were gonna be a drive community. And so we’ve been able to dramatically increase the number of seats available in and out of Charleston. And that’s been amazing, particularly if you think about the northeast corridor. If you’d ask us back in 2010, our number one place that we got visitors was from North Carolina, and now it’s New York.

Billie: That process, that must require a lot of conversations and coordinating with a lot of partners. What did you learn from that process that other DMO and similarly formerly drive destinations could use?

Helen: I think that the opportunity to open new markets has been really fun. And in terms of being able to do advertising and marketing in those communities where there’s a direct route.

People have limited time today, and nobody wants to spend all their time in an airport. And if you can have a nonstop market, that has been one of our greatest successes. And today we’ve got 65 nonstop destinations, which has been great. But the second thing was, we made a strategic decision to really advertise and promote who Charleston really is, not who we wish we were. And all of our history is not beautiful, but we are finding a way to tell that story in a way that is interesting, because it’s the real story. We just opened the International African American Museum last year—we’re celebrating the first year—and it’s a difficult story to tell. But it’s important that in today’s world that we tell that story.

Billie: Are there other examples where you’re able to do that? And that museum, huge landmark opening.

Helen: Well, the best thing is that I always laugh and tell our team that, you know, the real stories of what really happened is way more interesting than anything that you could make up.

Billie: Do you find adding those diverse and different perspective types of stories to the experience of Charleston . . . what kind of effect is that having on visitation?

Helen: I think that travelers today are looking for that kind of narrative that is authentic. And I know that’s a really overused word, but Charleston has such deep history. For example, we talk about food, and sometimes we laugh and say that we are probably not eating anything different than I ate growing up, we just talk about it a lot different. But because of our rich agricultural history and our rich seafood, you really have something special to talk about.

And if you look at the Gullah Geechee heritage and that food, we kind of grew up eating that. And now we can share that with the world with some of our most celebrated chefs.

Billie: You can name it. And in the naming of it, it honors and celebrates it in a different way.

Helen: Well, I said that [the] next 20 years we really think is going to be the best. I know that everything that we’ve seen—it’s why what Afar is doing is so critically important to storytelling—is that people are interested in arts and culture.

They’re interested in really getting to know and understand a place. And the only way you can do that is by telling great stories. And that’s what we hope to do. And build on as we move ahead.

Billie: And how do you get visitors to, in concrete ways, to get to interact with, with that culture, with those different stories?

Helen: Well, we’re really fortunate that we have so many [of] what you may consider attractions. There’s so much to see and do as it relates to historic attractions. And I know that one of the things that we’re gonna be talking about is America 250. And, you know, today we forget that those folk were part of 13 colonies and they were subjects, right? And to a king. Democracy had not been thought of yet. And the fact that they were brave, and now democracy is really something that spread throughout the world. And it started here. Charleston was one of the four major cities in the United States, in the 13 colonies at that time, and the only southern city. And because we had such a strategic port, it was really important to commerce. And those are the kind of attractions, if you think about the 250, that we’re so excited about. It’s a great place to see how America started because those sites are still there. And you can still enjoy them.

Billie: So how are you planning for America 250? It sounds like you’ll do things at those sites. Are there other celebrations? Can you tell us about what you have planned?

Helen: Well, we’re really excited because we have America’s first museum, the Charleston Museum, and that’s the great place to start telling the story—

Billie: Charleston Museum is the first American museum?

Helen: It’s the oldest museum in the United States. It was founded in 1773. And they have a long history and a deep history in telling this Revolutionary War story and how Charleston was pivotal in that battle. And again, I think that in today’s world, it’s hard for us to imagine that democracy, which is literally around the world, was a new idea.

And it started there. And it’s fun for us because as it relates to the Charleston Museum, they’re telling that authentic story and then you can go out into the community and actually see the site. One of my favorites is the Old Exchange Building, which is actually a building that has been in continuous use since that time. And a lot of people don’t know, in Charleston we had our own tea party similar to the Boston Tea Party. The only difference is we didn’t throw our tea in the harbor, we actually hid it at the Old Exchange and then sold it later to help the patriots. So it’s really fun.

Billie: [Laughs] I love that! Capitalism for good.

Helen: That’s exactly right. So we have a lot of interesting stories around the 250, that’s exciting. And then one of the most significant battles of the early part of the American Revolution was the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, and it was fought at Fort Moultrie, which is really right at the Charleston Harbor.

A lot of folks think about Charleston and they think about Civil War history, right? The first shots of the Civil War. But our story, as it relates to the Revolutionary War, is very deep. I don’t know if you’ve seen a palmetto tree—on the state flag of South Carolina—but they actually built a fort of palmetto logs.

And what the British didn’t know is that palmetto logs are very spongy. And when those cannon balls were hitting the palmetto log, they would actually lodge. And the folks on the United States side for America were able to do a lot of damage to the British ships, where the incoming fire was absorbed by those palmetto logs.

And that you can still go to that beautiful fort and see that fort today. And it’s just. . .

Billie: I imagine over time Charleston has had to change how you tell some of the stories change. Oh, yeah, of course, especially talking about the museum is focused on the Revolutionary War.

Helen: So one of the things that’s particularly fun, coming up on June 28th, is we’re celebrating what we call Carolina Day, which is the celebration, the battle of Sullivan’s Island. And it is where the Americans were able to build a fort with palmetto logs. We have palmetto trees and they’re very spongy. And one of the things that happened—and this decisive American victory was—the palmetto logs were the difference maker because when the cannonballs would hit the very spongy palmetto trees, they would lodge and the palmetto trees would protect the fort.

Conversely, the ships did not have that same protection, so it gave the Americans a very early win in the Revolutionary War, which took place right in the Charleston Harbor.

Billie: That’s so cool. That’s so cool that people can see that history still. You mentioned that Charleston, like a lot of the country in the South, has a complex history. Have you found that you’ve had to address the narrative or change some of the ways that you’re telling some of these stories over time? And what was that like, as the head of tourism, to have to do that?

Helen: Well, one of the things that happened in Charleston is we laugh and say we decided to leave the Moonlighted Magnolias narrative in the past. Because, it really wasn’t true, and we knew that the real story is way more interesting and is so much more educational, and it’s so much more inspiring to the future of our country to tell the authentic story.

So we were brave and we decided to tell the real story and, you know, everyone wishes for a more perfect past. And when we opened the African American Museum at the site of Gadsden’s Wharf where probably three quarters of the slaves that were brought into the United States were brought in, it’s a painful story to tell, but it’s an important story to tell as we look toward the future of our country. And another reason to celebrate and tell the story of the American Revolution, [is] because that’s what they were doing; they wanted something different than to be one of the 13 colonies. They were looking for something different. I think it’s more important than ever that we tell those inspiring stories.

Billie: Yeah. And Charleston’s not the only one, obviously all over, we’re going through that. But did you draw on or exchange conversations and strategies with other locations that had gone through this?

Helen: I grew up in Charleston, and I laugh and tell people that you don’t know Charleston is different until you go away.

Charleston is a very cosmopolitan, very small community. I didn’t realize that sometimes other people didn’t have a friend who was a different color or a different faith. And you’ve heard Charleston called the Holy City, because of the number of churches and synagogues. We have the oldest synagogue in the United States in Charleston, and there was always freedom of worship.

And that was an important step for our community. So we’ve always had that. And then you might remember we had the Mother Emanuel tragedy in Charleston, where nine parishioners were killed in the oldest African American Episcopal church in Charleston. And it was such a learning experience for our team. We’re actually coming up on the 10-year anniversary of Mother Emanuel. We’re about to finish a fantastic memorial for the church and for those folks who lost their lives. But their story is inspiring, because they are the ones who very quickly forgave the killer. But at the same time, they called the rest of us to reconciliation that the Lord requires us to forgive. But reconciliation takes work. It really is about telling the story, and that’s why I’m excited to partner with Afar as we look forward to telling those stories. Because that’s what inspires people. That’s what inspires people to act. I think that’s what’s next for us.

Billie: That’s really exciting. Well, what is your hope for the future of Charleston’s tourism industry? Where is it in 10 years? Or 20?

Helen: We really are excited about tourism being the way to help people connect because the world gets a lot smaller when you know people. And I love the fact that when you get to meet someone who may be different than you and perhaps you break bread over a delicious meal, it is the way that the world’s gonna become much smaller and a better place, because we’re gonna know each other and it’s much easier to like people that you have an opportunity to get to know.

Billie: Yeah, you mentioned food, so I have to ask, what are, you know, your favorite, let’s say, off-the-beaten-path places? I’ve told people before—

Helen: [Laughs] Now come on now, you know, on the tourist board, I can’t give you my favorites. I will tell you that my new real favorite thing right now is because of what season we’re in. One of the things that happens in South Carolina specifically, because of our deep agricultural traditions, is that we are still the place of the farmers’ market and getting to have the best local produce. It has been really fun. I’m actually sad that I’m not home right now to enjoy something.

Billie: What would you pick up at the farmers’ market?

Helen: Right now I would really be enjoying strawberries and all the fresh lettuces and particularly, the ones that are grown out at Wadmalaw Island. Waiting on tomatoes. Ready for some tomatoes. We love some heirloom tomatoes.

Billie: OK, so you have to stay diplomatic, so you can’t pick favorites. But for the general traveler, what are some off-the-beaten-path experiences that you’d recommend? We’ve talked about a lot of the real trademark signature experiences and stories of Charleston. What else?

Helen: One of the things, particularly as it relates back to the America 250, is we had four signers of the Declaration of Independence. One of the particular corridors that I love is the 61 corridor, where you have Drayton Hall, Middleton Place, and Gardens, and Magnolia. And each one of those is, has got a unique tie into the revolution. And one of the things that I love about each one of those places is they celebrate telling those stories in a way that hasn’t been told before. And there are a lot of good restaurants on the way out there that you can stop and get a little bit of local seafood or a little fresh produce. So it’s always fun.

Billie: So what is a recent travel trend that you’ve noticed, and how is Charleston addressing that?

Helen: I think the interesting thing that hasn’t changed a lot, but we see it happening more as, is visitors choosing to book a little closer in, and, making more, you know, we’ve got some free time, so where can we go? Again, that’s why that access is so important and, I think we continue to see people making some travel decisions a little closer in.

Billie: And how is Charleston prepared for that?

Helen: Well, we’re just being very patient, knowing the call is going to come.

Billie: Thank you so much, Helen. It’s great talking to you. Helen Hill, president and CEO of Explore Charleston. We always love talking to you. Thank you so much.

Helen: It’s great to be here. Thanks.

Thanks for joining this episode of View From Afar. In the show notes, you’ll find links to the topics we discussed, Explore Charleston’s website and social handles, and links to some of our recent Charleston coverage. And be sure to follow along this week to hear more interviews with industry experts.

You can find more Views From Afar on afar.com. And be sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok. We’re @AfarMedia. If you enjoyed today’s exploration, I hope you’ll come back for more great interviews. Subscribing always makes that easy. And be sure to rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platforms. It helps other travelers find it.

This has been View From Afar, a production of Afar Media. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound. This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe to their other fine shows like Culture Kids and The Explorers Podcast.