No fans, no money? What Hilton Head’s economy stands to lose during RBC Heritage week
On Saturday, you may be able to reserve a table at a Hilton Head Island restaurant without much issue.
That matters because Saturday is “The Saturday of Heritage week,” a day that islanders who know anything about the PGA tour event, RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, wouldn’t even try to go out to eat. Island restaurants typically are packed with visitors coming fresh off a long day on the course in the sun.
But this Saturday is just a normal summer Saturday.
Although Hilton Head Island’s biggest event of the year is under way, its economic impact will be markedly different from previous years.
RBC Heritage, considered one of the economic powerhouses in South Carolina, boasts a $102 million footprint on the state, but without nearly 140,000 people flocking to Sea Pines, the boost is being felt in different places this year.
How much do we stand to lose?
According to the event’s impact study, the average person who comes to Heritage spends $672.
Where does that money go?
The impact study shows that restaurants and bars raked in $19.6 million in 2019.
As visitors dine on the tournament grounds and in restaurants after play ends for the day, island servers can count on a healthy injection of cash during the week of RBC Heritage.
The next most-impacted industry is lodging; visitors spent $19.3 million on hotel and short-term rental accommodations last year.
Short-term rental owners often book their Heritage visitors a year in advance, The Island Packet has reported.
Heritage typically means an influx of reservations from golf spectators and business groups and near-full occupancy. The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce could not provide island-wide occupancy rates for this week.
Here’s the economic impact from the 2019 Heritage event on other industries:
- Retail: $15.9 million
- Entertainment: $9.6 million
- Transportation: $3.2 million
The loss from Heritage’s fan-free tournament is just another impact of 2020 that hurts local businesses on Hilton Head. It comes after many island restaurants and businesses were closed for several weeks to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Still, restaurants are operating at reduced capacity to maintain social distance. Without the biggest event of the year, that hurt continues.
Event catering deals become watch party plans
Restaurants that usually count on wait lists and reservations made in advance of Heritage week are pivoting to cater to local interest in the tournament this year.
Lucky Rooster, located mid-island, is hosting a multi-day Heritage watch party where attendees can reserve a table to watch the tournament. The restaurant is hosting four different chefs from the Southeast to bring new flavors to the table.
On the south end, Reilley’s Grill and Bar in the Triangle is also hosting a watch party starting Thursday. Located near the gates to Sea Pines, the restaurant will be close to the action but streaming the tournament.
Aunt Chilada’s, a Mexican restaurant on Pope Avenue, is also offering a free watch party. The event will feature a radio station DJ and prizes for those who come to watch the tournament.
Reilley’s and Aunt Chilada’s are both owned by the Coastal Restaurants and Bars Group.
Other restaurant groups are disappointed because they had planned to be more involved with the tournament this year.
Ryan Larson, director of marketing for the Southeastern Entertainment and Restaurant Group, said this was going to be the restaurant group’s first year to provide concessions for fans at Harbour Town. With no fans, there’s no concessions.
He said the overall financial impact on SERG wasn’t immediately clear.
“This was going to be our first year of doing that, so there’s no year-over-year comparison,” he said.
And, while SERG restaurants will be showing the television broadcast of the tournament, the group hasn’t seen a significant increase in people wanting reservations or parties.
“No more than normal,” he said.
‘Incredibly busy’ week in the skies
While business is in flux for restaurants on the island, Heritage week traffic was booming at the Hilton Head Island Airport.
“This week has been incredibly busy,” Beaufort County Airports Director Jon Rembold said. “We’ve got Gulfstream (planes) lined up, up and down the ramp.”
Rembold said the surge in traffic is coming from the general aviation, or private, side of the airport. That means corporate jets, private planes and other charters are making their way toward Hilton Head in droves.
“It’s just jet after jet coming in and out of here,” he said. “It’s like a typical Heritage week.”
Asked how he thinks that will affect the island’s economy, Rembold was optimistic. He said the increased air traffic translates to more short-term rentals, hotel reservations and car rentals.
“Even just here on the airport we will definitely have a significant economic boost,” he said. “For everybody, frankly, I think it’ll still be a shot of energy for the island.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 6:30 AM.
