EPISODE · May 30, 2026 · 21 MIN
Live From IPW: Discover South Carolina's Duane Parrish on Finding the Undiscovered South Carolina
from View From Afar · host Afar
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Discover South Carolina director Duane Parrish sits down with Afar deputy editor Michelle Baran to talk about a state that's having a record-breaking year on the whole. Duane has led South Carolina's tourism efforts for 15 years, a period in which tourism has become one of the largest industries in the state. In 2024, it contributed more than 30 billion dollars to the economy and generated 3.2 billion in state and local tax revenues. But the picture isn't even across the state, and 2025 forced Duane and his team to make some real pivots—doubling down on drive markets like Atlanta and Charlotte, leaning into the "Find the Undiscovered You" campaign, and surfacing the places most travelers don't yet know. In this conversation, Duane and Michelle discuss The "Find the Undiscovered You" campaign and why getting off the grid is becoming the state's most resonant pitch Greenville's transformation from a shuttered textile town into one of the most reinvented cities in the Southeast, complete with a downtown waterfall and a growing Michelin presence The barrier-island culture of the Lowcountry, from Beaufort to Georgetown, and why these are the places to send travelers who want to explore beyond Charleston The opening of the International African American Museum in Charleston, the Gullah Geechee Corridor, and the Civil Rights Trail—and why international visitors are especially drawn to this kind of richer storytelling How AI is reshaping destination marketing, why Duane believes "high tech will never replace high touch," and the Ronald Reagan line he keeps coming back to: trust but verify Plus: the four styles of South Carolina barbecue sauce (vinegar, mustard, light tomato, heavy tomato), the 225-restaurant barbecue trail that's color-coded by sauce, and Duane's own loyalty to heavy tomato. Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar 00:01:30 A Record Year, With Exceptions 00:03:00 Doubling Down on Drive Markets 00:04:30 Find the Undiscovered You 00:06:30 Greenville's Reinvention 00:07:30 Beyond Charleston 00:08:30 How Destination Marketing Has Changed 00:10:30 The Promise and Limits of AI 00:12:30 Telling a Fuller Story 00:16:30 The Barbecue Trail 00:19:00 A South Carolina Itinerary Resources: Discover South Carolina South Carolina Barbecue Trail The Afar guide to South Carolina Listen to our Unpacked podcast guide to Charleston, where we explore food, culture, the outdoors, and shopping Stay Connected Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week. Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content. Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor. Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights. Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked. This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Discover South Carolina director Duane Parrish sits down with Afar deputy editor Michelle Baran to talk about a state that's having a record-breaking year on the whole. Duane has led South Carolina's tourism efforts for 15 years, a period in which tourism has become one of the largest industries in the state. In 2024, it contributed more than 30 billion dollars to the economy and generated 3.2 billion in state and local tax revenues. But the picture isn't even across the state, and 2025 forced Duane and his team to make some real pivots—doubling down on drive markets like Atlanta and Charlotte, leaning into the "Find the Undiscovered You" campaign, and surfacing the places most travelers don't yet know. In this conversation, Duane and Michelle discuss The "Find the Undiscovered You" campaign and why getting off the grid is becoming the state's most resonant pitch Greenville's transformation from a shuttered textile town into one of the most reinvented cities in the Southeast, complete with a downtown waterfall and a growing Michelin presence The barrier-island culture of the Lowcountry, from Beaufort to Georgetown, and why these are the places to send travelers who want to explore beyond Charleston The opening of the International African American Museum in Charleston, the Gullah Geechee Corridor, and the Civil Rights Trail—and why international visitors are especially drawn to this kind of richer storytelling How AI is reshaping destination marketing, why Duane believes "high tech will never replace high touch," and the Ronald Reagan line he keeps coming back to: trust but verify Plus: the four styles of South Carolina barbecue sauce (vinegar, mustard, light tomato, heavy tomato), the 225-restaurant barbecue trail that's color-coded by sauce, and Duane's own loyalty to heavy tomato. Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar 00:01:30 A Record Year, With Exceptions 00:03:00 Doubling Down on Drive Markets 00:04:30 Find the Undiscovered You 00:06:30 Greenville's Reinvention 00:07:30 Beyond Charleston 00:08:30 How Destination Marketing Has Changed 00:10:30 The Promise and Limits of AI 00:12:30 Telling a Fuller Story 00:16:30 The Barbecue Trail 00:19:00 A South Carolina Itinerary Resources: Discover South Carolina South Carolina Barbecue Trail The Afar guide to South Carolina Listen to our Unpacked podcast guide to Charleston, where we explore food, culture, the outdoors, and shopping Stay Connected Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week. Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content. Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor. Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights. Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales and Unpacked. This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Live From IPW: Discover South Carolina's Duane Parrish on Finding the Undiscovered South Carolina
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