Myrtle Beach Tourism Growth Isn't What It Seems
- 01. Myrtle Beach tourism growth hides a key warning sign - direct answer
- 02. Key 2024-2026 numbers at a glance
- 03. What drove the 2024 growth?
- 04. Why 2025 declined and 2026 looks risky
- 05. Where the warning sign shows up - four empirical symptoms
- 06. Economic and community impacts
- 07. Policy and infrastructure stress points
- 08. Business and operator responses
- 09. What to watch - leading indicators for 2026 recovery or deeper decline
- 10. Illustrative scenario: two-year outcomes
- 11. Quotes and dates worth noting
- 12. Actionable recommendations for stakeholders
- 13. Data and modeling notes (methodology)
- 14. Final factual reference points
Myrtle Beach tourism growth hides a key warning sign - direct answer
The Myrtle Beach area saw measurable growth in visitors and spending in 2024 but then registered a decline in 2025 with projections for a further small drop in 2026; the immediate warning sign is rising visitor volumes concentrated into shorter stays and heavier seasonal peaks that strain local infrastructure and mask weakening per-visitor spending trends (hotel occupancy rose in 2024 while restaurant receipts and length-of-stay fell).
Key 2024-2026 numbers at a glance
Public reports and CVB summaries place 2024 as a peak recovery year with roughly 18.2 million visitors and $13.2 billion in visitor spending, while 2025 shows a modest contraction of about 3% and 2026 forecasts another ~3% decline, creating a two-year cumulative pullback that erases much of the 2024 gains unless policy or product changes intervene.
| Year | Visitors (millions) | Visitor spending (USD billions) | YOY change in visitors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 17.58 | 12.4 | - |
| 2024 | 18.20 | 13.20 | +3.6% |
| 2025 (actual) | 17.65 | 12.8 | -3.0% |
| 2026 (projected) | 17.14 | 12.4 | -3.0% |
These figures synthesize official CVB releases and local reporting to show the pattern: a 2024 high-water mark followed by a two-year mild decline that matters for revenue planning and resilience.
What drove the 2024 growth?
Several concrete drivers explain why 2024 was strong: expanded air service at Myrtle Beach International Airport (3.84 million passengers, a 14% increase year-over-year reported in the CVB year-end recap), new flagship events (notably the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic/PGA TOUR debut), and aggressive marketing that increased national summer search interest.
Those initiatives translated into higher hotel demand - CoSTAR/STR data cited 6.4 million hotel room nights and about $846 million in hotel revenue in 2024 - while the CVB reported a record economic impact and improved accessibility recognition that elevated the destination's profile.
Why 2025 declined and 2026 looks risky
Local chamber reporting showed a 3% drop in Grand Strand tourism for 2025 with an expected additional 3% decline in 2026, which suggests the market shifted from growth to consolidation, driven by compressed stays, weaker restaurant spending, and a possible normalization after event-driven spikes in 2024.
Operationally, businesses reported shorter average stays and increased in-resort self-catering, which reduces per-visitor spend on food and experiences even when occupancy appears healthy; this mismatch is the critical warning sign because headline visitor counts can hide falling per-capita revenue.
Where the warning sign shows up - four empirical symptoms
- Shorter stays: a measurable uptick in three- to four-day visits vs. five-plus day stays in prior years, reducing average spend per trip.
- Shifting spend: grocery and retail transactions rose while restaurant swipes fell, indicating substitution away from local F&B.
- Seasonal crowding: heavier concentration of visitors in peak weeks produced capacity and service strain that depress repeat-night bookings and ancillary spend.
- Downward projections: chamber projections of a 3% drop in 2026 following a 3% 2025 dip point to structural softness, not a single-year anomaly.
Economic and community impacts
Visitor spending of $13.2 billion in 2024 supported broad retail and service sectors, and CVB reporting ties that to higher gross retail sales across Horry County; however, a 6% combined decline across 2025-2026 would shave hundreds of millions from local receipts and complicate municipal budgeting tied to hospitality tax collections local revenue.
Businesses that leaned on ancillary dollars (dining, tours, entertainment) are most exposed because the observed behavior change favors lodging plus grocery/retail spend rather than out-of-home experiences, reducing margins for restaurants and attractions.
Policy and infrastructure stress points
City and county leaders flagged public safety, parking, and coastal resilience upgrades as priorities for 2026, indicating that infrastructure limitations are already constraining experience quality during heavy demand periods and influencing repeat visitation propensity public safety.
If investments lag at the same time visitation becomes more peak-focused, the result is reputational risk: high-profile crowding events or service failures can depress future bookings beyond what raw numbers imply.
Business and operator responses
- Hotels and resorts are adjusting rate strategies and packaging to encourage longer stays and mid-week bookings, aiming to offset shorter average nights.
- Attractions and event organizers are spreading programming across shoulder seasons to smooth demand and reduce pressure on peak weeks.
- Local government is prioritizing targeted infrastructure upgrades and public-safety investments to preserve tourism capacity and maintain quality of place.
What to watch - leading indicators for 2026 recovery or deeper decline
Short-term signals that will determine whether 2026 stabilizes include airport enplanements through spring, hotel RevPAR trends in shoulder months, and credit/debit spending patterns for restaurants vs. groceries; if airport traffic and RevPAR remain up but food/service spend continues down, the crisis will be revenue composition rather than visitation volume leading indicators.
Conversely, if occupancy and airlift weaken together (as the chamber predicts), that combination would indicate demand softening and require marketing or product interventions to attract new traveler segments.
Illustrative scenario: two-year outcomes
Scenario A (stabilize): strategic shoulder-season events + targeted infrastructure fixes hold visitation near 17.8 million and restore per-visitor spending in late 2026, preserving tax receipts and jobs scenario A.
Scenario B (softening): no effective mitigation leads to 6-8% cumulative visitor decline through 2026, intensified off-season business closures, and pressure on restaurant and attraction operators reliant on summer margins scenario B.
Quotes and dates worth noting
Visit Myrtle Beach's 2024 Annual Report noted "18.2 million visitors" and a $13.2 billion spend for 2024 in the CVB's May 19, 2025 recap, underscoring the magnitude of 2024's rebound annual report.
"The region continues to build momentum," - Myrtle Beach Area CVB, 19 May 2025, summarizing 2024 gains that now face tightening conditions in 2025-2026.
The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce publicly reported a 3% tourism decline in 2025 and expressed concern about another 3% dip in 2026 during a February 2026 city workshop, highlighting the official nature of the downward projection chamber report.
Actionable recommendations for stakeholders
- Destination managers: pivot marketing to shoulder seasons and diversify audience funnels to reduce peak-week dependence; invest in measurable conversion channels tied to longer stays.
- City planners: accelerate prioritized public-safety and parking upgrades to protect experience quality during peak surges and keep repeat visitation rates high city planners.
- Business owners: create bundled products (lodging + F&B credits + activities) to recover lost per-visitor spend and incentivize five-plus night bookings.
Data and modeling notes (methodology)
This article synthesizes publicly released CVB and Chamber summaries (2024 annual recap, 2025 chamber workshop comments) and regional reporting; visitor counts and spending figures are taken from those releases while 2025-2026 percentage changes follow chamber projections and local press coverage, producing the table above to illustrate the magnitude of the recent swing methodology notes.
Final factual reference points
Evidence from the Myrtle Beach Area CVB's 2024 recap and subsequent press summaries anchor the key facts: 18.2 million visitors and $13.2 billion in spending for 2024; CoSTAR/STR hotel metrics showing 6.4 million room nights and $846 million in hotel revenue in 2024; and chamber reporting of a 3% drop in 2025 with a projected 3% dip in 2026, forming the data spine of the growth-then-pullback narrative reference points.
What are the most common questions about Myrtle Beach Tourism Growth Isnt What It Seems?
How many visitors did Myrtle Beach have in 2024?
The Myrtle Beach Area CVB reported approximately 18.2 million visitors for 2024, with $13.2 billion in visitor spending, making 2024 a record or near-record recovery year as published in the 2024 recap on May 19, 2025 visitor count.
Did tourism fall in 2025?
Yes - the Grand Strand (including Myrtle Beach) registered a roughly 3% decline in tourism in 2025 according to local chamber reporting and regional press summaries presented at municipal workshops in early 2026 2025 decline.
Is 2026 expected to decline further?
Local chamber projections presented publicly indicate an expected further ~3% dip in 2026, making a two-year mild contraction the central downside case unless mitigation occurs 2026 forecast.
What is the "warning sign" you mentioned?
The warning sign is the divergence between headline visitation and per-visitor revenue trends: higher occupancy in 2024 coincided with shorter stays and reduced out-of-home spending (restaurants/attractions), meaning total visitor counts can mask weakening economic benefit to local operators warning sign.
What should local leaders prioritize now?
Leaders should prioritize targeted infrastructure upgrades (public safety, parking), shoulder-season event development, and marketing aimed at longer-stay segments to stabilize per-capita spending and avoid erosion of tax revenues tied to hospitality sales policy priorities.