Featured Press Releases

Use this library of press releases written by the Charleston Area CVB media relations department to mine for story ideas, stay abreast of what is new in the destination and learn about the special events that take place throughout the year.

For additional story ideas, we invite you to visit our blog.

For Immediate Release, October 2016
Charleston, South Carolina, Named No. 1 City in the U.S. by Condè Nast Traveler 2016 Readers' Choice Awards for the Sixth Consecutive Year

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA NAMED #1 SMALL CITY IN THE U.S. IN THE 29th ANNUAL CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Charleston Voted #1 Travel Destination in the U.S. for the Sixth Consecutive Year

CHARLESTON, S.C. (October 18, 2016) - Charleston, South Carolina is ranked the #1 small city destination in the U.S. in the 2016 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards. This is the sixth consecutive year that Charleston has been named a #1 city. A record 300,000 respondents voted in the annual Readers’ Choice Awards. The Charleston area earned a combined score of 90.25 in the categories of culture, friendliness, atmosphere, restaurants, lodging and shopping. The news was announced on October 18, 2016.

“The readers of Condé Nast Traveler are lauded as some of the world’s most discerning, and the hospitality scene in Charleston continues to charm,” says Linn Lesesne, Chair of Explore Charleston and Vice President of Sales and Public Relations of Charming Inns. “We are thrilled to be recognized once again for our friendly people, historic ambiance and culture, award-winning restaurants, one-of-a-kind shopping and renowned accommodations.”

In addition to the #1 Small City in the U.S. ranking, readers named the following hotels among the top 10 in the Charleston area.

French Quarter Inn
Grand Bohemian
John Rutledge House Inn
Wentworth Mansion
The Spectator
The Restoration
HarborView Inn
Market Pavilion
Planters Inn
Belmond Charleston Place

The Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry and are commonly known as “the best of travel.” Under Editor in Chief Pilar Guzmán, the Readers’ Choice Awards have become more selective and specific to passions that inspire today’s traveler.

Respondents were encouraged to share their travel experiences by ranking the world’s cities, islands, hotels, resorts, spas, ski mountains, cruise ships, airlines and airports.

The full methodology includes:

The Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards survey was made available through a secure website at cntraveler.com/vote . This year’s tabulation of results from more than 300,000 respondents submitted during the sweepstakes period of April 1 through July 1, 2016, was done by CNP DS&I. The questionnaire contains lists of candidates in various categories (Cities, Hotels, etc.). Candidates must receive a required minimum number of responses and a minimum overall rating to be eligible for a Readers’ Choice Award. Candidates are judged on a set of criteria relevant to their category, based on a standard five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor. The mean average of these ratings determines the final score published.

For the complete list of 2016 Readers’ Choice Awards, visit www.CondeNastTraveler.com/RCA


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The mission of the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is to unify and lead the local travel industry in marketing the Charleston area as an individual, meeting, incentive and group destination to both the domestic and international markets. Explorecharleston.com

Follow the conversation on Twitter with @explorechs and @CNTraveler

Molly Waring, Director of Media Relations, Explore Charleston
[email protected]
(843) 958-3631






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