By the end of this year, visitors to the South Carolina Welcome Center on Interstate 26 near Landrum will see some significant changes to signage, landscaping, and traveling amenities as part of a recent transfer of the management of the state’s nine welcome centers from the S.C. Department of Transportation to the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
The move is an effort by the state to improve the traveling public’s first impressions of South Carolina by utilizing knowledge gained over the past 20 years from the hospitality and tourism industries.
Landrum’s welcome center will be the first in the state to begin the multi-year phased-in improvement process, according to Marion Edmonds, spokesperson for the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
“There will be cosmetic changes such as awnings, screens, doorways and landscaping,” said Edmonds. Additionally, the SC Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism will move to install new technology that will encourage more interactive engagement for visitors. The department also recently premiered their new tourism website, DiscoverSouthCarolina.com.
The department has allocated $1 million for improvements to Landrum’s welcome center, located 2.5 miles from the state line. While not the busiest welcome center in the state, it still received 100,180 visitors in 2013, and countless more passed through to use rest area facilities.
“Landrum has been busy – even in just the last 10 years – because of the tremendous growth in Western North Carolina and in the Upstate of South Carolina,” said Edmonds.
Landrum’s welcome center opened during the 1970-1971 fiscal year. The center’s staff must pass a certification exam on the state’s history, geography, attractions, state parks, directions, traveler safety, lodging, customer service and economic impact to become a certified travel counselor.