Myrtle Beach tops travel ranking

A consumer-driven travel review website has ranked Myrtle Beach as the No. 1 U.S. beach travel destination, and Grand Strand business leaders say it's a sign of the city's growing national appeal.

Myrtle Beach ranked No. 1 in the country and No. 5 worldwide in the Beach and Sun category of the 2010 Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards announced by TripAdvisor.com on Tuesday.

The rankings were based on an algorithm that took into account comments, reviews, favorites and traffic on the site, according to spokeswoman Alex Botti. The site includes more than 70,000 destinations worldwide. Myrtle Beach did not make the ranking in 2008, the last time the awards were given, she said.

"That speaks to the discussion about Myrtle Beach being a regional versus national destination," said Bill Golden,president of marketing group Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. "Oftentimes we say it's a national destination. We just need access and dollars to market it. And here's the consumer saying the same thing."

The site is proof that Myrtle Beach has national appeal, making flights to Dallas-Fort Worth that started on April 6 on American Airlines all the more crucial, said Golden.

The flight route opened the Grand Strand to the rest of the country by giving tourists in the West unprecedented access to Myrtle Beach via connecting flights, he said.

The ranking means that vacationers think highly of the destination, which is something to be proud of, said Scott Schult, marketing manager for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

The award is also free advertising for the Strand, he said

"It's great exposure for the destination and it's already starting to generate a little bit of additional activity for us," Schult said.

The chamber has already posted the award on its website and plans to announce it through social networking, Schult said. The chamber is evaluating other ways to use the ranking in their marketing efforts, but it is unlikely to be in TV commercials, he said.

"The challenge for us is, we market predominantly regionally," Schult said. "But keep in mind, online, we are everywhere online."

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