Myrtle Beach hopes expanded summer activities will draw more tourists

Downtown Myrtle Beach businesses are gearing up for the tourist season by sprucing up their properties and planning new activities for the area, including a carnival for children and more concerts.
The Oceanfront Merchants Association presented its plans for the season to the Downtown Redevelopment Corp. at Wednesday’s meeting and asked for an extra $35,000 in this year’s budget to make them happen.
The corporation usually gives $50,000, but board members voted unanimously to give the merchants $85,000 for entertainment.
The city of Myrtle Beach promised the merchants $85,000 this year, and the group will request $60,000 from the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
As vacationers start trickling to the Grand Strand, area leaders have said that the economy could put a dent in the tourism season. But downtown merchants remain optimistic, saying they’ve seen positive signs so far.
They are planning new activities, including the carnival and more concerts, to give the downtown a festive feel to lure visitors.
The new carnivals will feature bounce houses, a bungee-cord run, obstacle courses, street performers and perhaps a scavenger hunt, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. each Monday of the summer season at Plyler Park.
In addition, the merchants want to add a night to the free concert series, said merchants association member Jonathan Staton, who owns Dagwood’s and made the budget presentation to the redevelopment board.
Staton said local hoteliers have been calling the merchants association making sure there will be the same activities for visitors as last year, because, they’ve said, their repeat customers are requesting them.
They’ve also been advertising the Wednesday-night fireworks shows in their hotel brochures, he said, because they are so popular.
“The area just felt livelier last year,” Staton said. Those who run parking lots downtown reported increased demand on event nights, which prompted the merchants association to prioritize adding the Monday-night carnival and Thursday concerts to the regular Tuesday-and-Saturday lineup to draw more people downtown.
Buz Plyler, who owns the Gay Dolphin gift shop, said he thinks this summer could be “a relatively good season. People have been holding back, not spending, and they’ll be ready to go,” Plyler said. “People will want to enjoy themselves when they get a break.”
He said he has seen “20 times more foreign visitors” recently, which he never would have anticipated for the Grand Strand, and sees as promising.
Part of the reason for that is advertising. Myrtle Beach is being introduced to new markets through marketing, and the merchants are trying to do the same, though in a more local way.
They are planning a new circus-themed campaign advertising “Hot Summer Nights,” the peak season between the beginning of June and Labor Day, and Staton said they hope to put up banners on lightposts in the downtown area, as well as billboards around the county letting families know there are free activities in downtown Myrtle Beach.
“It looks like, if all this comes to fruition, it could be the biggest and best year yet,” board member Doug Martin said.
Vice-chairman Jay Bultz said he appreciated the merchants association’s efforts, as well.
“You all have done a lot of work to make this happen,” he said.
1. Could this be a good idea?
2. Did it hurt Myrtle Beach that they are going away from students and bikers and push more toward families? Why?
3. What would you do to encourage tourists to MB during this recession??
4. Are free activities what MB needs to do to gain tourists?