Tourism makes our region an attractive place to live, work and play. Examples include the convenience of Myrtle Beach International Airport, cultural arts and sports venues, and shopping, dining and entertainment experiences from the most recognized brands in the world. Residents also have access to a large employer base, jobs that accommodate a wide spectrum of education and experience levels, professional growth opportunities, and more money in state and local tax coffers. Tourism also supports local businesses, fosters entrepreneurship and new business ventures. Small business owners make up a large part of our local economy many of which rely on the conventions and tourists that visit our destination. From florists to barbers, and museums to local-owned restaurants, we all benefit!
Visit Myrtle Beach is the official Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) for the Grand Strand. The organization plays a vital role in improving the quality of life for the residents of the region by keeping the tourism industry thriving. Through sophisticated branding and cutting-edge marketing, the CVB promotes the area globally as a premier leisure, convention and business destination. Marketing is crucial to a tourism destination's ability to thrive because it maintains brand awareness in a world where messaging is everywhere, draws attention to new and improved attributes, highlights events and festivals, and helps differentiate the region from competing destinations. Effective marketing showcases what makes a destination special, enticing high-quality travelers to invest into the Grand Strand over other places. This, in turn, drives visitor numbers, increases spending and ultimately boosts the local economy, making local communities sustainable for the long term.
The positive impact of tourism on infrastructure and public services benefits everyone – residents, tourists and businesses. Tourists use much of the same infrastructure and services that residents use, including roads, airports, police/fire protection, medical services, etc., and a growing tourism industry requires adequate investment and maintenance of our local infrastructure and public services.
Tourism dollars help the area expand these investments, including those for publicly owned facilities like the Myrtle Beach Convention Center or the Myrtle Beach International Airport. As a result, tourism helps pay for infrastructure and services that everyone benefits from.
Most people associate tourism with hourly jobs in the service sector, and there’s no doubt that tourism is accountable for 80,000+ jobs locally. What’s often overlooked are the management jobs that are a part of the tourism industry. We see desk clerks and housekeepers, but don’t notice the managers, supervisors, accountants and marketers that work in a hotel or resort. We see waiters, bartenders and cooks but don’t notice the team of managers, chefs, accountants and supervisors that run a restaurant. We see flight attendants and counter attendants but don’t notice the pilots, auditors, engineers and other professionals that run airlines. While tourism does create hourly jobs, it also supports and sustains an overlooked corps of managers and other professionals that play an integral role.
Tourism supports schools and public services across Horry and Georgetown Counties by generating substantial tax revenues that are funded two-thirds by visitors through sales taxes, accommodations taxes and hospitality fees. This tax revenue goes directly to our municipalities and state budgets that fund our essential public services like education, police, fire departments, and infrastructure improvements. For example, taxes collected in large part from tourism contribute to the local school district and higher education institutions, helping enhance educational facilities, technology and resources. Additionally, public amenities such as parks and recreational areas are improved with tourism dollars, benefiting residents and visitors alike, all while reducing the tax burden on locals.
There’s no doubt the Grand Strand is fortunate to be home to exceptional amenities and attractions, most notably our beaches. And while most visitors who choose to vacation here rank the beach as the most popular draw, research confirms that the non-beach amenities — restaurants, attractions, golf courses, etc. — are what differentiates our destination and make it so popular. To build the appeal of the destination and effectively compete for visitors and tourism spending in our area, the non-beach amenities must be effectively marketed. Visitors who have never been to the Grand Strand are often surprised to learn just how much the area offers and securing a visit to our area instead of our competitor destinations is a priority for our marketing program.
Many businesses throughout the Grand Strand, such as retail stores and entertainment venues, enjoy a balance of customers that include both tourists and residents. Ultimately, these tourism-dependent businesses need other services, such as plumbers, insurance agents and bankers. Plus, local businesses like grocery stores, gas stations, auto repair shops, banks and healthcare providers see increased patronage from both tourists and the growing population that tourism supports. Additionally, the influx of tourism revenue helps improve local infrastructure, which benefits all businesses by making the area more accessible and appealing for everyone.
Tourism is a huge value-add for residents across the Grand Strand as it keeps our taxes low. For example, the City of Myrtle Beach provides a tax credit owner-occupied residents receive through the City of Myrtle Beach Tourism Development Fee – or TDF. For the 2022-23 fiscal year, the TDF provides a 67.5 percent credit toward city property taxes. That means for a home with an assessed value of $250,000, the owner sees a savings of $600 per year. City of Myrtle Beach property owners can calculate their potential savings here.
