Many locals are choosing to vacation at home.
Tourism is a billion dollar a year industry and the Midlands is happy to get a piece of that economic pie. When tourists visit the area, they bring with them much-needed injections of cash.
Every year, the Midlands welcomes three million visitors. The tourism industry employs nearly 12,000 people. And the latest figures from the State Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department show South Carolina brought in more than $18 billion in 2008, up from $16 billion four years ago.
This year Hal Batts is taking a stay-cation, a sort of vacation in her hometown of Columbia.
"Here being the center of South Carolina there's plenty," said Batts. "We have the big museum right around the corner, and the children's museum."
EdVenture is meeting the expectations for the Columbia woman and her family. And by staying put, people like Batts are finding fun in their own backyard.
"It looks like a lot of people are staying local, they really want to explore what's going on," said EdVenture Spokesperson Jennifer Suber.
Suber says the down economy has forced the children's museum to find creative ways to remain a top destination spot. Suber says deep discounts are one solution.
"During these hard economic times, it's great that we can be able to afford to offer people an opportunity for them to come," said Suber.
"People are still going to be doing vacations," said Midlands Tourism Authority Director Ric Luber. "They're just going to be doing it in a different way. And right now we have an opportunity to benefit from that."
Luber is hopeful tourism will continue bouncing back. He calls the Midlands a value destination.
"So where people may have gone to a more expensive resort are coming to Columbia and our region, and really enjoying themselves and getting good value for their dollar," said Luber.
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