How did Memorial Day stack up to years past on Hilton Head? Take a look at the numbers
On Friday of Memorial Day weekend, drivers to Hilton Head Island hit a traffic jam that is characteristic of summer on the island.
It may have been the first in two months.
As cars headed east, the all-too-familiar backup signaled to many that the tourism season had begun.
In a world addressing the coronavirus, how busy was Hilton Head Island last weekend?
Traffic data, hotel and rental occupancy rates and airline arrival statistics show the season is not back to normal, but it’s getting there.
Minor accidents contributed to Friday’s backup, but 62,524 cars still traveled over the Hilton Head bridges in both directions that day.
That’s nearly 10,000 fewer cars than Friday of Memorial Day weekend in 2019, when 71,809 vehicles made the journey.
In those cars were residents, island employees, vacationers and day-trippers from the Lowcountry and beyond. While bridge traffic counts aren’t indicative of tourist travel patterns, they show that more people were out and about over the weekend after weeks of social distancing and quarantining.
Hilton Head traffic on Memorial Day weekend
The S.C. Department of Transportation records the number of vehicles that cross Hilton Head Island’s bridges each day.
In April, the number of cars was hovering under 50,000 each day — a far cry from the Easter and RBC Heritage traffic that usually comes in spring.
On May 14, the traffic hit 50,000 cars for the first time in two months. Since then, the traffic counts have dipped below 50,000 only once.
On Memorial Day weekend, Friday is typically the highest traffic day. This year’s was marked with a backup to the Tanger 2 area due to two minor crashes.
In general, between 5,000 and 9,000 fewer cars traveled the bridges last weekend than on Memorial Day weekend in 2019.
Hilton Head beach drinking tickets
Hilton Head’s beaches were front and center last weekend as groups flocked to newly reopened beach parks and took advantage of the weather.
The beach crowds generated over 1,600 bags of trash that were removed by lifeguards, and the town towed about 30 cars parked illegally.
Beaufort County Sheriff’s deputies also patrolled the beaches with an eye on alcohol and fireworks-related violations.
On Monday, deputies issued 23 warnings to people drinking on the beaches on Hilton Head. Although the reports do not specify beach markers, several were issued in the Folly Field area, the Palmetto Dunes area and the Coligny Circle area.
There were no warnings reported on Friday, Saturday or Sunday of the holiday weekend, according to records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Maj. Bob Bromage, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, said deputies gave hundreds more verbal warnings throughout the weekend that were not necessarily documented.
Hotel and rental occupancy rates
Statewide, hotel and rental occupancy rates are beginning to climb following weeks of coronavirus-related closures.
While 575 hotels were closed in mid-April across South Carolina, just 84 are still closed, according to Duane Parrish, executive director of South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
On Hilton Head, major resorts such as the Omni and Sonesta are beginning to reopen.
Average hotel occupancy rates in April were at 26.4% across the state, Parrish said. Meanwhile, short term rentals were much fuller, with an average occupancy rate of 53%.
Parrish said travelers felt more comfortable staying in individual homes with less turnover and more facilities such as private kitchens.
By May, statewide hotel occupancy has reached 39%, Parrish said.
Memorial Day weekend occupancy was between 75% and 90% in all the state’s coastal communities, he added.
Typically, hotel occupancy is between 90% and 100% for Memorial Day weekend.
The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce did not report Hilton Head’s occupancy rates for Memorial Day weekend in Wednesday’s teleconference.
Savannah, Hilton Head airport report
While tourism officials are counting on visitors who drive to the island, air traffic to the area is slowly creeping back, too.
Greg Kelly, director of the Savannah Airport Commission, reported that the Savannah/ Hilton Head Airport had a relatively good Memorial Day weekend in a teleconference hosted by the Chamber.
Kelly said airports across the country were reporting flight loads around 15% of what they were last year. The Savannah/ Hilton Head Airport’s flight loads were between 20% and 25% of what they were at this time last year.
Kelly said American Airlines and Allegiant Air were the most popular air carriers last weekend.
“Our normal passenger counts are 4,500 (per day),” he said. “We were between 1,000 and 1,200 per day over Memorial Day week.”
Of the travelers arriving at the airport, Kelly said most came from Ohio, Chicago, Indianapolis and Newark.
As far as coronavirus precautions, Kelly said many airlines are requiring face coverings but not enforcing the rule.
“So we’re seeing people carrying them and not wearing them,” he said.
On Hilton Head Island, about 1,017 passengers arrived at the north end airport over the weekend, according to Beaufort County Director of Airports Jon Rembold.
That’s about 20% of typical holiday weekend arrivals.
“Our numbers are increasing and the number of flights are starting to increase slowly,” Rembold said.
“But we’re still not where we’re normally at.”
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette’s Jake Shore contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 3:22 PM.
