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Explanations were mixed, and room rates remain on the decline in some cases, but all involved reported momentum after foundering in 2009.
Sunny weather in the Lowcountry and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have driven some people to Beaufort County, but more optimism about the national economy are the primary reason travelers are flocking here as the summer winds down, said Robert Stenhammer, general manager of ResortQuest Hilton Head Island, which manages 450 rental homes and villas.
He estimated bookings were up 10 percent June through August compared to the same period last year.
Consumers continue to shop for the best rate, but they have "a little bit more propensity to travel" this year, he said. "Every call is still a negotiation. We're still in a recession."
To keep its properties as full as possible, ResortQuest lowered rates and accepts shorter stays than in past years -- five days instead of seven, for example.
Bookings for the upcoming Labor Day weekend are approaching 70 percent, up slightly from last year, Stenhammer said.
Innkeeper Julie Myers reported a similarly good season at the Beaufort Inn.
Consumer confidence climbed more than forecast in August as Americans turned less pessimistic about the outlook for jobs. The national Conference Board's confidence index rose to 53.5 from a five-month low of 51 in July, according a report Tuesday.
The inn benefits from the rising optimism, Myers said. It also lowered rates and signed up with travel websites Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity.
As a result, occupancy increased about 10 percent in July and August this year compared to the same period last year, she said.
Those are typically two of the slower months for tourism in northern Beaufort County, which is not considered a major beach destination and is typically busiest in the fall and spring, Myers said.
Even so, Myers said her 28 rooms generally sell out for Labor Day weekend. This year, they did so earlier than usual.
The inn, which sometimes has weekend rooms available up until the last minute, was booked solid by Wednesday for the holiday weekend, she said.
Occupancy at Beaufort-area hotels and motels is up about 8 percent this year through June, said Bob Moquin, executive director of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce's Visitor & Convention Bureau.
He said the success is probably due in part to the chamber focusing its advertising on people within a five-hour drive who are fans of history, the outdoors and art.
The influx of vacationers this summer pleasantly surprised Dennis Moore, owner of Atlantic Bike Rentals on Hilton Head.
After a cold winter kept people inside, he placed a normal order for about 150 new bikes in preparation for the summer.
He wasn't expecting all the customers that followed.
"Had I known, I would have purchased twice that amount," he said.
Moore, who has been in the bike business on Hilton Head since 1978, said many people changed course out of fear the oil spill would wreck a planned visit to the Gulf.
"The perception was, 'Why should I gamble my vacation dollars on a place where I might not be able to have a vacation,' " he said.
Despite the summer boost, his business is down about 10 percent this year, which he attributes to the cold winter.
Moore hopes to stay busy through the fall.
"I'm putting in an order for 160 to 200 bikes right now," he said.
May River Grill in Bluffton also had a busier-than-expected summer, manager Amanda Burr said. She wasn't sure of the cause but said it could be the oil spill, a lack of competition, word-of-mouth exposure or the completion of a town construction project on May River Road that had deterred would-be diners.
Regardless, it's become difficult to find a seat on weekends.
"If you don't call by Wednesday, it's kind of hard to get a table," Burr said.
Hurricane Earl, forecast to produce high surf and rip currents as it churns off the East Coast, should not keep many people from visiting this weekend, lodging operators said. The Beaufort Inn reported fears about the storm led to two cancellations, but ResortQuest reported none and The Westin Resort had "no significant cancellations."
"We got some phone calls," said Ken Nason, Westin's director of sales and marketing. "People were just double-checking."
Citing falling gas prices in August, AAA Carolinas predicted a 7.7 percent increase in Labor Day travel.
About 452,000 South Carolinians are expected to travel during the long weekend, the auto association estimated.
That's about 32,000 more than last year, and it does not take into account travel plan changes due to the storm.
