Myrtle Beach Area Chamber hosting travel and tourism week

Apr 27, 2010

MYRTLE BEACH - The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce is joining hundreds of cities, states and businesses nationwide in the annual salute to travel and tourism in America. May 8-16 marks the 27th annual National Travel and Tourism Week. The cities of Conway and Myrtle Beach and town of Surfside Beach have issued declarations for the week. Each year between 14 million and 15 million tourists visit the Myrtle Beach area. The MBACC is celebrating the week with activities and promotions for those visiting the Grand Strand. As in past years, MBACC members will receive “Thank You for Visiting” static cling decals to place on business or vehicle windows. The chamber’s visitor centers in Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet will serve complimentary refreshments during the week. The Myrtle Beach International Airport visitor center will host live music periodically throughout the week and offer refreshments during these times: May 10, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. – Tim Peterman, steel drums May 11 and May 12, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. – Joan Burton, guitar May 13 and May 14, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. – Doug Fankhauser, variety The MBACC will host a Tourism Industry Update 10 a.m.-12 p.m. May 12 at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel. Chad Prosser, director, S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, will present South Carolina’s Tourism Action Plan, and Dr. Don Schunk, research economist, BB&T Center for Economic and Community Development, Coastal Carolina University, will present the Tourism Economic Impact Study. TourismWorksForUs.com will feature new testimonial videos and Coastal Carolina University’s Tourism Economic Impact Study. Discounts will also be posted to thank the community for supporting tourism. National Travel and Tourism Week was established as National Tourism Week in 1983 when the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution designating the week to be celebrated in May 1984. In a White House ceremony, President Ronald Reagan signed a presidential proclamation urging citizens to observe the week with “the appropriate ceremonies and activities.” By January 1986, industry leaders had formed a permanent full-time office at the U.S. Travel Association to sponsor the event and expand tourism awareness into year-round programs. 2010 National Travel and Tourism Week Facts (Source: U.S. Travel Association) -Travel and tourism is a $1.7 trillion industry in the United States. If one dollar bill equaled a second of time, then $1.7 trillion would equal more than 54,000 years (2008 data). -Travel and tourism generates $111 billion in tax revenue for local, state and federal governments. If 111 billion one dollar bills were placed end-to-end, they would circle the world 422 times (2009 data). -Travel and tourism industry is one of the country’s largest employers, with 7.4 million direct travel-generated jobs and a payroll totaling $186 billion. One of every nine American jobs is dependent on travel and tourism (2009 data). South Carolina Tourism Facts (Source: U.S. Travel Association study prepared for the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism) -Domestic travelers directly spent nearly $9.9 billion in South Carolina during 2008, up 1.7 percent from 2007. -Domestic travel-generated employees in South Carolina earned more than $2.0 billion in payroll income during 2008, a 1.3 percent increase from 2007. -Domestic travel expenditures directly generated 113,800 jobs within South Carolina in 2008, a decrease of 1.2 percent over 2007. These jobs generated by domestic travel spending in South Carolina composed 5.9 percent of the total state nonagricultural employment in 2008. -On average, every $86,733 spent by domestic travelers in South Carolina during 2008 generated one job. -Domestic travel spending in South Carolina directly generated nearly $1.5 billion in tax revenue for federal, state and local governments in 2008, up 1.4 percent from 2007. The total tax revenue increase is partially driven by higher state sales and use tax rates started June 1, 2007. Local Tourism Facts -Horry and Georgetown counties combined generated $9.2 billion in retail sales in 2008-2009, accounting for more than 6.6 percent of the state’s retail sales (source: S.C. Department of Revenue). -Both counties generated more than $10 million in admissions taxes in 2008-2009, roughly one-third of the state’s total admissions tax collections (source: S.C. Department of Revenue). -Both counties generated more than $15 million in accommodations taxes in 2008-2009, more than one-third of the state’s total accommodations tax collections (source: S.C. Department of Revenue). -Tourism generates, directly or indirectly, most of the jobs in Horry and Georgetown counties. In 2008 this included more than 33,000 jobs in accommodations and food services, more than 20,000 jobs in retail and nearly 8,000 jobs in arts, entertainment and recreation (source: S.C. Employment Security Commission).