Same-sex marriage legalization and wedding tourism: evidence from Charleston and Savannah

摘要

We examine the effect of same-sex marriage (SSM) legalization on hotel room occupancy in the cities of Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia, two popular wedding destinations that are otherwise similar except for different SSM legalization dates. Using daily data on the number of hotel rooms rented, we find scant evidence that SSM legalization increased the number of hotel rooms let in Charleston or Savannah.