MYRTLE BEACH – The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce reports that the Myrtle Beach area is ready for business following Tropical Storm Hanna. Throughout the storm, the chamber has closely monitored Hanna and served as a resource to its members and Myrtle Beach area visitors and prospective visitors.
“Most businesses remained open Friday as Hanna approached,” said Brad Dean, MBACC president and CEO. “The storm hit very early Saturday morning, so by daybreak the weather was clear. We expect to be operating at or near 100 percent capacity by mid-day, with businesses greeting guests as usual today.”
“We’ve been in contact today with all the head pros at our Grand Strand area golf courses and have learned that everyone escaped with minimal damage,” said Bill Golden, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. “There are a few tree limbs and branches down from the wind and rain, but Tropical Storm Hanna has already left the area, the sun is shining, and we’re ready for another beautiful day of golf here in Myrtle Beach.”
Although September is not the busiest month for the area’s tourism industry, the Grand Strand generally enjoys 70 percent to 75 percent occupancy during the weekends, according to Smith Travel Research and Coastal Carolina University. However, occupancy was actually expected to be higher than the same weekend last year, despite higher gas prices this year compared to last year.
“Many tourists come here during early September due to the warm weather and low hotel rates,” Dean said. “I’ve heard that many visitors chose to stay the weekend, although hotels and vacation rentals undoubtedly had a number of cancellations.”
The MBACC Call Center reported the greatest number of inquiries from prospective visitors on Wednesday, roughly 75 percent.
“It’s apparent that these callers waited until the last minute to decide if they would come, remaining hopeful they could still visit,” Dean said. “While Hanna put a damper on this weekend, we still have a good number of solid visitor weekends remaining in 2008.”
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