| Considered one
of the nation's top vacation destinations, the Grand Strand
hosts an estimated 13.5 million visitors annually. The increasing
number of attractions, live music theaters, shopping centers,
and golf courses attracts visitors throughout the year.
The Grand Strand has been visited by many regional, national,
and international publications and broadcasting companies.
For example, in 1999, Country Music Television (CMT) filmed
two 60-minute episodes of Hit Trip, Ford Motor Company shot
a regional commercial, and Home & Garden Television (HGTV)
produced a half hour episode on vacation living in the area.
Internationally, articles have appeared in American Journal
of Germany, Leisure World of Canada, Long Haul Magazine and
The Star of the United Kingdom, and ABroad Magazine of Japan.
In addition, the Myrtle Beach area has received these positive
national reviews:
- Myrtle Beach was named the
nation's Hottest Up-and-Coming Destination this year by
the American Bus Association, a trade group representing
motorcoach operators and tour companies. This is the fifth
consecutive year that Myrtle Beach has finished No. 1 in
that category. The ranking is based on a survey of more
than 125 motorcoach operators.
- According to a survey of AAA
travel managers across the country, the Myrtle Beach area
was named the second most popular travel destination for
the summer of 1999.
- The Myrtle Beach area was
selected by the readers of Southern Living as their second
favorite family vacation destination and their second favorite
beach in 1999. The Grand Strand has been recognized each
fall since the magazine began its annual Readers' Choice
Awards four years ago.
- Stan Plog Research Inc., a
Los Angeles-based tourism research company, announced Myrtle
Beach tied with Orlando, Fla., as the continent's number
two vacation spot in 1998, behind California's Monterey
Peninsula.
- In April 1998, U.S. Housing
Markets reported that Myrtle Beach was second in the nation
for per capita housing construction for the last quarter
of 1997 and the first quarter of 1998.
- Myrtle Beach was named one
of the nation's top vacation spots for retired Americans
age 55 and older, according to a study by tourism researchers
D.K. Shifflet & Associates.
- In the past three years, both
the Wall Street Journal and Money magazine have listed Myrtle
Beach among the top spots in America for retirement.
- D.K. Shifflet & Associates,
a research and consulting firm in McLean, Virginia, announced
a 1997 Top 10 list of destinations, ranking them on overall
satisfaction and value with hotel/motel experience. The
list is derived from their monthly Performance/Index study,
a survey of over 500,000 U.S. households each year. In a
recent study, Myrtle Beach achieved a number four ranking
for visitor satisfaction and number two ranking for value.
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