Travel + Leisure Names Charleston No. 1 City in the U.S. and Canada of 2014

Travel + Leisure released the results of their World’s Best Awards 2014 on July 2, 2014, naming Charleston, S.C. the number one city in the U.S. and Canada and the number two city in the world.

The College of Charleston takes advantage of Charleston’s unique urban and natural environments through many academic and extracurricular opportunities. See some examples here, here, here and here (oh, and here too).

Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Wayne Smith, attributes Charleston’s continued publicity to the friendly locals, high level of service and the expertly preserved balance between tourism and quality of life.

“If you look at other cities with growing hospitality tourism industries, no one has balanced tourism with living as well as Charleston has. The people here in this industry understand that what’s good for Charleston is good for everyone, so they’re looking out for the city.” Smith said.

RELATED: A more in-depth look at Professor Wayne Smith’s projections for Charleston

The growth in the Charleston region’s tourism industry is expected to continue. The Charleston City Paper reported that developers and hotel groups have proposed roughly 1,850 rooms in 18 new hotels in peninsular Charleston alone. And Smith believes that North Charleston will share in the future of the local hospitality and tourism industry, as corporate growth there will bring more business travel.

“The beauty of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at the College is that it’s an immersion program,” Smith continued. “You can’t escape hospitality and tourism here – the food is everywhere, carriage tours run through campus on a regular basis. These kids can’t help but learn in and out of the classroom, and they graduate ready to work.”