Tourism leaders look to new survey for ways to grow number of visitors to 20 million annually

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce was presented with the results from a new tourism study Tuesday afternoon.

The survey was the first of its kind to gauge the competitiveness of Myrtle Beach to other destinations across the country.

Destination Next started it’s survey of 400 area stakeholders three months ago.

It was a broad base of individuals who were asked to look at all aspects of Myrtle Beach as a destination, not only today but in the years to come.

The survey compared Myrtle Beach to other destinations against a variety of factors.

“It was actually pretty positive, it was a good over all score,” said Paul Ouimet, Manager Director for Destination Next, who presented the results.

“There were some areas of opportunity that we believe could create some additional visitation,” said Ouimet.

Ouimet specifically pointed to adding convention sites and the need for an interstate connection.

“I can’t think of another infrastructure project that would make more sense than the interstate here,” said Ouimet.

“Everybody agrees we need interstate access, everyone agrees we need more flights in and out of the destination,” said Brad Dean, President & CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Deans says the survey will be invaluable to growing tourism in the area, “our goal is to get to 20 million visitors in the next five years, we’ve grown from 12 to 17, but to go from 17 to 20 will require more and different marketing, new initiatives and perhaps more infrastructure.”

Dean says the beach will always be a big draw for the area, the idea behind the survey was finding ways to attract visitors further inland.

“We know people will come here for the 60 miles of sun and sand, but one of the things that differentiates the Grand Strand from other beach destinations is all that we have to do off the beach,” said Dean.

The survey showed people value adding a performing arts center and outdoor music venue over a downtown casino.

The next step is creating a strategy to prioritize the initiatives for action and implementation.

Part of the initiative recommended to the chamber was an increased marketing presence both nationally and overseas.

One potential growth area destination next specifically pointed to is Asia.