Myrtle Beach moves to end biker weeks at the Grand Strand

Last month, the Myrtle Beach City Council raised taxes to fund programs aimed at ending the Grand Strand’s two annual motorcycle rallies in May — the Harley-Davidson rally in Myrtle Beach and Bikefest in Atlantic Beach.

For more than half a million bikers who attend the rallies each year, the council’s action sends the message that Myrtle Beach no longer wants their money. At least not enough to continue to endure the noise and lawlessness that rides into town with rallies.

Myrtle Beach has begun to evolve from a beach town known for outlandish graduation weeks and bike weeks to a first-rate golf resort area and growing community.
The good that has been taking place includes:

-- The past decade, more than a billion dollars have been spent on new roads to improve the area’s infrastructure, and more are in the works.

-- Coastal Grand Mall, opened in 2004, and Market Common, opened in April, give Myrtle Beach residents and visitors first-class shopping choices.

-- Grande Dunes, opened in 2001, is a residential golf resort that rivals any on the Atlantic Coast.

-- The Cal Ripken Experience, opened in 2006, is a $23 million youth baseball camp and tournament facility that draws people from across the country.

-- BB&T Coastal Field, opened in 1999, is home to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and is perhaps the nicest stadium in the Carolina League.

-- Hard Rock Park, a theme park on the scale of a Six Flags, opened in April.

-- The Grand Strand has made headlines around the world by twice hosting presidential debates this year.

With all this in mind, it’s easy to see why some Myrtle Beach leaders and residents want to end events, such as bike weeks, that have become headaches for residents and law enforcement while keeping other tourists away. Graduation weeks are probably the next headaches to be targeted.

The rub here, of course, is if city leaders are successful in driving out the bikers, how will they replace the lost revenue?

Myrtle Beach can accommodate about 20 million tourists a year, but already falls about 6 million shy of that capacity. Get rid of the bikers and the shortfall becomes larger.

In a survey of 972 people living in Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia last fall, nearly 60 percent were only slightly familiar with Myrtle Beach or had never heard of it at all.

Myrtle Beach’s marketing budget is about $3 million. In order to grow awareness of all that the Grand Strand has to offer and will offer in the future, the city will need to spend more. And, as always, taxpayers will foot the bill.

Is doing away with bike weeks doable? Absolutely. Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale Beach in Florida have weaned themselves off bikers and spring breakers.

And while both places missed the revenue in the short term, city leaders say their communities have since replaced the dollars and are better off.

Now that the push is on in Myrtle Beach to drop bike weeks, city leaders and residents there should stay the course.