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Visitor Demographics and Information
Tourism has
a significant impact on the Myrtle Beach economy. There were an estimated 12.7
million visitors to the area in 2002.
| Estimated
Number of Visitors |
| 1999:
13.6 million |
2000:
13.8 million |
2001:
11.9 million |
| 2002:
12.7 million |
2003:
12.8 million |
2004:
13.2 million |
Visitor Origin:
22 percent of our visitors came from North Carolina in 2002. Another 36 percent
traveled from states such as New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey.
Visitor Inquiries:
In a recent survey, America Online (AOL) reports that Myrtle Beach was the most searched beach in the U.S. on their search engine, AOLSearch. The primary information source for Myrtle Beach tourism is that of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. Most inquiries originate from Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York, and Virginia. There all also many international inquiries to the Chamber, 90% of which originate in Canada, with others from the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. The Chamber website records over 3 million unique visits per year.
Visitor Occupation: Nearly 50 percent of the visiting population is employed in professional positions. This continues to affirm that our visitor base is becoming more affluent.
| Occupation Groups |
Professional:
42.0% |
Blue Collar:
26% |
Other:
13% |
Retired:
8% |
Non
employed :
11% |
Visitor Age:
The Grand Strand attracts young travelers; approximately 90 percent of visitors
were under the age of 65.
| Age Groups |
| 18-34:
31% |
35-54:
51% |
55-64:
8% |
65+:
10% |
Visitor Income: The Grand Strand attracts middle- to high- income travelers; visitor income has steadily increased over the years.
| Income Groups |
$120,000 or more
4% |
$105,001-$120,000
3% |
$90,001-$105,000
10% |
$74,001-$90,000
10% |
$49,001-$74,000
42% |
$25,001-$49,000
20.0% |
| |
$25,001
and below
11% |
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Visitor Length
of Stay: The average length of stay along the Grand Strand was 5.3 days for
leisure travelers and 2.63 days for business travelers.
| Nights Spent in the Area |
| 1-3
nights: 20% |
4-7
nights: 73.0% |
8+
nights: 7% |
Visitor Activities:
The Grand Strand is rich with activities and amusements for leisure and business
travelers alike. The most popular activity for overnight guests is visiting the
beach (90 percent). Additionally, 84 percent of overnight visitors went shopping,
and 20 percent played golf.
Source: Myrtle Beach Area Statistical Abstract, 2004
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