The U.S. Senate approved travel promotion legislation this week that Grand Strand leaders say could translate into more foreign visitors on local beaches.

The Travel Promotion Act of 2009, now headed to the House, would establish a nonprofit corporation to inform foreigners of American entry policies and promote leisure, business and scholarly travel to the United States.

Promotion funding would come from private sector contributions and a $10 fee for international travelers who do not pay $131 for a visa to enter the United States.

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When it comes to attracting foreign visitors to the Grand Strand, some local tourism leaders are looking to Congress for help.

The Travel Promotion Act of 2009, which has been introduced in the House and Senate, would create a nonprofit corporation to advertise the U.S. as a travel destination in foreign countries. The campaign would be funded by industry contributions and a $10 fee on foreign travelers who do not have to pay for a visa.

The travel industry, including the U.S. Travel Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, have been lobbying heavily for the bill. One estimate says the bill would attract 1.6 million new foreign visitors a year, create $4 billion in spending and drive $321 million in new federal tax revenue. All told, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill could reduce the budget deficit by $425 million.
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The Carolinas want you to come visit
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With the rise of gas prices and the weak economy prompting vacationers to curb their plans, tourism destinations in the Carolinas have started targeting their own residents or those nearby.

"We're going to try to focus as much as we can closer to home," said Scott Schult, the vice president of marketing for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. "That is important. The research supports that."

With bus tours, e-mail blasts and Internet advertising, tourism groups are trying to spread a message that staying closer to home is more affordable and more fun.
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International golf tours check out MB
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Chitaranjan Bakhshi had never been to Myrtle Beach before, but not only does he want to come back, he also wants to send many more golfers from India to vacation here.

Bakhshi's company, pashIndia, sells golf packages to Indians who travel around the world with their families to play golf. He's one of more than 50 golf tour operators who visited the Grand Strand last week at the midyear convention of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators.

"I want to go back and promote the World Am," he said of one of the major golf events on the Grand Strand. "It's a great destination. ... Good value for money, great golf."
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Myrtle where?
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Ever talk to a person outside the Carolinas who thought Myrtle Beach was in Florida? Or said, 'Myrtle where?'

Nearly 60 percent of potential travelers in a recent survey were only "slightly familiar" with Myrtle Beach or had never heard of it at all. And those are the folks who live in the states where Myrtle Beach is advertised the most as a vacation destination.

That's bad news for tourism promoters, who spend $2 million a year trying to get the word out about Myrtle Beach.
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Spirit Airlines' addition aims to serve golfers
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Travelers between Myrtle Beach and Chicago have an easier way to get back and forth starting today with the launch of a daily, nonstop flight on Spirit Airlines.

Grand Strand tourism leaders herald the new flight to Chicago O'Hare International Airport as an opportunity to lure more visitors to the beach, especially golfers from the Chicago area.

"It has huge potential," said Bill Golden, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, a marketing group that also works to get flights to the beach. "Chicago is the No. 2 golf market east of the Mississippi behind New York. It is a tremendous opportunity for us."

"This important piece of legislation re-establishes our ability to promote our nation as a great travel destination and protects tourism by growing international travel," said Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. "The act helps level the playing field for smaller destinations like South Carolina when competing with larger destinations like Florida and California. For the Myrtle Beach area, the measure addresses concerns from our Canadian and European visitors."

Wendy Bernstein, a marketing research manager from the chamber, said the chamber does not keep track of how many international visitors come to the Myrtle Beach area.

In 2007, the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism estimated 80,000 foreign travelers came to South Carolina. That estimate did not include travelers from Canada and Mexico.

About 852,400 Canadians visited South Carolina that year, Nancy Gray, a spokeswoman for the chamber, said, citing statewide statistics.

Visitors from Germany and the United Kingdom made up the two largest groups, Bernstein said.

"We can't compete internationally with Orlando, Las Vegas and New York, but for the size of our destination, we do get a significant number" of foreign travelers, said Bill Golden, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, a marketing group. "If executed as they say they will, it will only assist that effort."

The area wants to be more aggressive in international promotions, and this act will serve as a supplement, he said.

"Certainly we know golf is popular there, but there's other things, with shopping and the restaurants, that need to be reintroduced so that they can see how we've matured and evolved as a destination," Golden said.

Gary Edwards, managing director of Coastal South Carolina USA, said he will be watching carefully to make sure it's not purely a promotion act to benefit "New York, Disney and California." Coastal South Carolina USA is a consortium of convention and visitors bureaus and private sector firms that promote international travel to Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Hilton Head Island.

"We know all of the players in the Department of Commerce [that are working with the program] and we will be standing there taking advantage of any opportunity that this presents us," he said.

Oxford Economics estimated that if done correctly, the proposed promotion program could attract 1.6 million new international visitors and would generate $4 billion in new economic stimulus and $321 million in new federal tax revenue each year.

The U.S. Travel Association estimated that the program would create nearly 40,000 new American jobs in the first year.

Article Source: Myrtle Beach Sun News

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