Hilton Head Island Tourism

Hilton Head Island has always worked to attract more tourists, focusing on bringing in as many visitors as possible to boost local businesses. This approach—sometimes called “heads in beds”—has helped our economy, but now there is growing concern that too many tourists and day visitors could start to hurt the community’s quality of life and put a strain on our roads, environment, and services.

As your State Senator, I want to make clear that the main decisions about how to deal with these challenges come from the Hilton Head Island Town Council. My job is to help guide debates, provide information, and make sure that any Town Council rules fit well with state law. Once the Town Council makes local rules, I work to ensure state policies support, not block, those rules.

One current issue is about short-term rentals (STRs), like those listed on Airbnb or VRBO. There are some in our legislature—often pushed by big online companies—trying to limit local control over STRs. I have blocked these attempts so far because I believe Hilton Head’s leaders should decide what works for Hilton Head, not Columbia or big corporations. I respect private property rights, and I know STRs are important for tourism, but our Town needs the power to set reasonable rules. Every community should get to make its own choices about what it wants to be.

Here are some steps the Town Council can use to limit the negative effects of too much tourism:

• Focus marketing on attracting quality visitors instead of just higher numbers;

• Set fair limits on the number of short-term rentals;

• Regulate how many day-trippers use Island facilities;

• Update local zoning and land rules to support balanced growth.

Tourism will always be a key part of Hilton Head’s economy, but we can protect both our strong tourism industry and the quality of life for residents. The Town Council, with my support, is committed to finding this healthy balance.