(AP) -- Good news for the tourism industry in South Carolina - hotel occupancy in the Charleston area was up sharply last year.
The Post and Courier reports occupancy in Charleston County increased almost 9 percent after dropping about 8 percent the previous year. The Charleston area attracts about five million visitors a year.
The numbers come from Office of Tourism Analysis at the business school at the College of Charleston.
The daily cost of rooms remained relatively stable at about $114. In comparison, rooms in Las Vegas that brought in $200 two years ago now command only about $50 a night.
Tourism is an $18 billion business in South Carolina.
(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
