PORT ROYAL, S.C. () — Officials from the Town of Port Royal said their town is popping up on several travel sites as the ’next place to see and visit.’ They said that’s leading to a larger number of tourists traveling through and to some folks thinking of making it their permanent home.

The town recently made some changes to accommodate the rising number of folks visiting but now they’re planning more even for the future.  

Mayor Kevin Phillips for the Town of Port Royal says they are prepared. “We know that growth is coming. We know that people are coming and with that brings challenges. But as long as we, I think, try and plan and be proactive instead of reactive, we can really meet those challenges.”

Phillips said any town with a motto of ‘cool, coastal and far from ordinary’ is a special place, so seeing the recent spike in visitors is no surprise.

Phillips said last year the town noticed flooding at the entrance to Sands Beach. He said that it was limiting many folks from accessing the beach, so the town invested a lot of money in a project that would help alleviate the issue.

“A lot of really big things are happening. We actually just opened up our new causeway to Sands Beach. We did that on Friday afternoon. It’s been going well so far,” said Phillips.

Phillips emphasized they have been working hard to keep the town quiet and safe while also accommodating tourists

In addition to the revamped Sands Beach entrance, Phillips confirmed they also installed 28 speed bumps on several residential streets to slow down traffic.

“We still are a residential area.  Even though we have an urban center, we still have a lot of families, people of all different ages, walking, riding bikes, riding golf carts and scooters,” said Phillips. “Those roads are shared with trucks. Trucks pulling boats, semi-trucks. So, we just want everybody to slow down and be safe.”

Phillips said he anticipates even more traffic and tourism once the port, owned by Safe Harbor, and the town’s waterfront is developed.

“The town’s got plans to build back our shrimp docks. We’re going to bring the Spanish Moss Trail across Ribaut Road, finally bringing the Spanish Moss Trail down into the Port Royal Village, connecting it with Sands Beach,” said Phillips. “So, the rest of this year and next year is really going to be exciting.”

The town has a meeting on Wednesday night where they will have their second vote on the planned unit development (PUD) and planned development agreement with Safe Harbor. Phillips said he believes that will kick-start the development of the port.