Locals to present research on Santa Elena center's effect on tourism

Two local representatives will present tourism research on the Santa Elena historic site at a national convention in Florida next month, according to a news release.

Andrew Beall, executive director of the Santa Elena Foundation, and Charles Calvert, chair of the University of South Carolina Beaufort Department of Hospitality and Tourism, will present their research at the 35th Annual Conference of the Resort and Commercial Recreation Association from Nov. 7 to Nov. 11 in Captiva Island, Fla.

Beall and Calvert researched the likely economic impact of history and cultural tourism on Beaufort County from a new Santa Elena History Center, the release said. The success of comparable centers was looked into first, helping lead to the conclusion that 50,000 or more annual visitors could be drawn to a new historic site, the release said.

For a deep look at the history and rediscovery of Santa Elena, see our recent special report, Pieces of the past: Story of Santa Elena, a significant Spanish settlement, emerges in fragments

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 6:50 PM with the headline " Locals to present research on Santa Elena center's effect on tourism."