Annual visitors to Charleston dropped to below 2005 levels last year and below 4 million people total, according to Bing Pan, head of analysis and assistant professor at College of Charleston’s Office of Tourism Analysis.

He presented a host of numbers to the local Travel Council last week with a message that “it can only go up from here.” Pan urged collaborative marketing efforts to make those leaps happen faster.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/apr/19/visitor-figures-reflect-recession/