Region Recognized as Retiree Destination

October 23, 2009

COLUMBIA, SC – October 23, 2009 – On September 28th, The U.S. News and World Report recognized Columbia, SC, as one of America’s most affordable places to retire.  The article stated, Consider Columbia, SC, a colorful capital city with a riverfront esplanade where the median home price is just more than $147,000 (another plus: property taxes that average just over a grand annually).

In addition, in the July/August/September issue of Retirement Lifestyles magazine, Lexington, SC, was named Top Pick as the best place to live, work and play. 

Retirees are drawn to the Capital City/Lake Murray Country region. They like the Southern hospitality in our state and flexibility of having a bungalow in the city or having a house along the shores of Lake Murray.  This region ranks fourth as the most popular destination for newcomers within South Carolina. 

src=/wp-content/uploads/img/Cover-09-Mag-web.jpgThe Capital City/Lake Murray Country regional tourism office (CCLMC) knows the importance in reaching this market and the impact marketing dollars have on this niche market.  Here are a few of CCLMC’s marketing strategies:

• In the July/August/September issue of Retirement Lifestyles, Lake Murray Country was featured with a 12-page spread about the region. 

• On the web, Lake Murray Country has banner ads on CarolinaLiving.com as well as a community video on RetireSouth.com. Banner ads are coming soon on grouptravelleader.com

• Another upcoming retirement/relocation project that CCLMC is hosting is The National Active Retirement Association (NARA) conference in October 2010.  This event will take place at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia.

The retirement/relocation market may not seem like a niche market for tourism.  However, our Visitor Center data reflects that this region has a strong pull and interest of potential retirees.  We advertise heavily to this market segment and provide services to these visitors.  After all, they are visitors until they purchase a home, says Miriam Atria, Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism office.

Capital City/Lake Murray Country

Capital City/Lake Murray Country is one of the state’s eleven tourism regions promoting tourism in Lexington, Newberry, Richland and Saluda Counties. The Visitors Center is located on Highway 6, 2184 North Lake Drive in Columbia. For more information, visit www.lakemurraycountry.com or call (803) 781-5940.