Tourism’s toll

Those who advocated for unlimited tourism in the Charleston area are now seeing the results of that argument. Numbers really do matter. Folly Beach can accommodate a few beer drinkers, but I doubt that busloads of drunks were ever in anyone’s plan.

Each week, Carnival Cruise lines dumps 1,500-plus tourists who compete for sidewalk space with those staying in expensive hotels.

Unfortunately, you can’t control who comes to visit or how much they spend while they are here. Now, there’s no going back. A retreat from tourism would mean unoccupied hotels and restaurants and the resulting loss of employment opportunities.

When I first visited Charleston in the early ’60s I thought it was a terrible place to visit but probably would a great place to live. Perhaps the reverse is starting to happen.

The situation may resolve itself. As Yogi Berra once said about a St. Louis restaurant, “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”

A.D. Heathcock
Palisades Drive
Mount Pleasant