Who We Are BOARD of GOVERNORS

The Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, or Explore Charleston, is organized as a 501-C-6 not-for-profit destination marketing and management organization (DMMO). DMMOs are organizations charged with representing a specific destination and helping the long-term development of communities through a travel and tourism strategy.

It is the primary purpose of Explore Charleston to market Charleston and the surrounding area as an overnight destination. This focus resulted in an average of 7.68 million overnight visitors, with labor earnings of $4.85 billion, and an economic impact of over $12.82 billion in 2022.

Explore Charleston is also classified as a regional organization through the South Carolina Association of Tourism Regions, and represents ten different local governments within Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester Counties.

Funding for Explore Charleston is provided through membership dues, programs revenue, accomodations taxes, and grant monies from the State of South Carolina's destination specific marketing fund.

Explore Charleston maintains a fulltime staff of dedicated professionals who coordinate marketing, media & communications, sales and visitor relations for our region.

Put simply, Explore Charleston’s purpose is to generate overnight visitation to our community. All significant tourism economic activity flows from creating overnight visitation. The marketing strategies found in this publication are designed to stimulate demand for travel to our region, specifically seeking the highest yield for a visit.

As locals raising our own families here, Explore Charleston team members understand and value quality of life. As such, tourism management is an equally important focus of our work.

“Mass tourism” and “overtourism” are not our goals. Rather, we work to find the balance between a healthy tourism industry and a wonderful quality of life; we believe deeply that they are connected.

The Board of Governors sets the direction of the activities of Explore Charleston. Bylaws call for the board to be composed of elected and appointed members, to include representation from funding municipalities:

Chairman: Mr. John LaVerne, Bulldog Tours

Vice-Chairman: Mr. Dan Blumenstock, Fennell Holdings

Treasurer: Mr. David Jennings, Rosen & Hagood, LLC

Immediate Past Chairman: Mr. Michael Tall, Hospitality Consultant

Executive Committee: Mr. David Tart, Raines Hospitality

Executive Committee: Mr. Dan Battista, Lowe Enterprises

Mr. Matt Barba, Charlestowne Hotels

Mr. Brad Belt, Town of Kiawah Island

Mr. Carl Borick, The Charleston Museum

The Honorable Johnny Cribb, Berkeley County

The Honorable Timothy Goodwin, City of Folly Beach

The Honorable John W. Gregg, Town of Seabrook Island

Mr. Jimmy Hagood, Food for the Southern Soul

Mr. Tommy Hall, Lowcountry Hospitality Association

Mr. John Keener, Charleston Crab House

Mr. Jonathan Kish, Queen Street Hospitality

Mr. Frank Lapsley, North Charleston Coliseum

Mr. Casey Lavin, Beemok Hospitality

Mr. Rick Mosteller, Fort Sumter/Spiritline Cruises

Ms. Rhett Outten, Croghan’s Jewel Box

Mr. Femi Oyediran, Graft Wine Shop

Mr. Ed Riggs, Tourism Expenditure Review Committee

Mr. Patrick Rogers, Marriott Riverview

Mr. Oliver Rooskens, Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina

The Honorable Herb Sass, Charleston County Council

Mr. Terry Sedalik, Charleston Golf Course Owners Association

The Honorable Mike Seekings, CARTA, City of Charleston

The Honorable Peter Shahid, City of Charleston

The Honorable Rusty Streetman, City of Isle of Palms

The Honorable Keith Summey, City of North Charleston

The Honorable Guang Ming Whitley, Town of Mount Pleasant

Ms. Michelle Woodhull, Charming Inns of Charleston

Explore Charleston’s $26 million budget is composed of three distinct revenue streams:

1. Accomodations tax (state and county - see Appendix)

2. Competitive grants through the State of South Carolina’s Destination Specific marketing fund

3. Member & Business Investment, ie:programs revenue generated from tourism-related businesses that access various services offered by Explore Charleston.