Changing visitors into homeowners

MYRTLE BEACH -- Tourism alone won't fuel the Grand Strand's economic recovery, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce said last week.

That's why it's forming a partnership between itself, the Regional Economic Development Corporation and the Association of Realtors to capitalize on the number of new visitors to the area who might, at some point, want to buy homes or businesses here.

That news came near the end of a presentation of marketing results by the chamber to the Myrtle Beach City Council.

Each quarter, the chamber gives the council a brief overview of how it is using the revenue from the 1 percent sales tax the city implemented two years ago to pay for out-of-area marketing efforts.

Franklin Daniels, speaking for the chamber, said the numbers "clearly show" an improvement in retail sales, average daily room rates, occupancy and enplanements at Myrtle Beach International Airport. For the first four months of this year, all those numbers are showing increases again, Daniels said.

Scott Schultz, the chamber's vice president of marketing, said promotional efforts have focused on new visitors, Internet and TV advertising, promoting the area's value and affordability and on growing air service.

The chamber has been marketing its Mayfest concept, activities and events in May.

TV ads by the hundreds of thousands are running across the country, Schultz said, including all around the East Coast. The city and the Grand Strand have been featured in magazines such as Budget Travel, have been promoted at trade shows such as those for RV groups, and have been targeting group markets for potential convention bookings, Schultz said.

"As a result, group room night bookings are up 17 percent," he said.

Myrtle Beach has been featured on the front page of AOL Travel, which Schultz calls a tough spot to get. In addition, Trip Advisor has named the city as having one of the country's best 25 beaches, and Travelzoo has named Myrtle Beach one of its destinations of the week.

Visitmyrtlebeach.com is capturing more visitors from the Charlotte, Atlanta and New York areas than many competitors, and unique visits to the site are up 18 percent over last year, he said.

For fall, Schultz said, the chamber will continue to push TV ads along the East Coast, but will move aggressively into Canada because of the increase in air service, including Porter Airlines, which will add fall flights between Myrtle Beach and Toronto for the first time.

Schultz said the chamber is also customizing web ads to campers, fishers, outdoors people and holiday travelers for fall. The chamber is using social media and mobile-device marketing to hit as many potential visitors as possible.