Today, the Myrtle Beach SC News crew explored Ocean Boulevard and discovered Easter Vacancy signs on display at each hotel in the area.
Easter Vacancy: A Look at the Impact on Local Businesses
Downtown Myrtle Beach has more than 200 hotels within a 9-mile radius, and each hotel displayed an Easter vacancy sign.
Hotels are expected to be near capacity this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Myrtle Beach is now primarily a city visited only on weekends. This trend has scared off many potential investors in the Arts and Innovation district.
As a result of lower tourism numbers, at the city’s budget retreat last month, data revealed that within the downtown Arts and Innovation District, there are 42 empty properties, with three of them currently up for sale.
“One of the questions we still continue to ask is why aren’t we seeing the investment? And it’s not because we don’t know, it’s because we want to be able to articulate that why,” Myrtle Beach Assistant City Manager Brian Tucker told local media. “One of the biggest things is risk. Nobody wants to be the first one downtown to do a big thing. We feel like we’re setting the stage with public investment to do that, but there’s still an element of risk there.”
“Most of our business investments have been on the north end and the south end, not so much in the core of the city,” Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said.
“And when you think about the center of our city, the heart of our city is located right off of Ocean Boulevard, right where the majority of our tourists drive by every single day,” Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said. “We have to have a thriving downtown area. And that’s not just to support that part of the city, that is to lift up all of the city.”
Perhaps all of these Easter vacancy signs indicate that the city should not expect investors until the tourist numbers improve.
Just ten years ago, the City of Myrtle Beach could expect the entire town to be filled to capacity Easter Week.
Local News Via - MyrtleBeachSC.com
