Conde Nast readers again rank Charleston No. 1

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) – Make it five in a row for Charleston.

For the fifth straight year, Charleston has been named the No. 1 small U.S. city tourist destination by readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine. The results of the magazine’s 2015 Reader’s Choice survey were released on Tuesday.

Readers rate cities based on culture, friendliness, scenery, restaurants and accommodations, shopping and value. This year, 128,000 readers participated.

Charleston first appeared in the survey back in 1993 and attained the top-ranking in 2011. In this year’s poll, Santa Fe, New Mexico, was No. 2. Park City, Utah, was No. 3.

Tourism in South Carolina is an $18 billion industry.

This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 9:43 AM with the headline "Conde Nast readers again rank Charleston No. 1."