Fewer bikers visit, even more avoid Myrtle Beach

The sign at Myrtle Beach's Sea Hawk Motel may read "Welcome Bikers," but no bikers had checked in by early Friday afternoon.

The Ocean Boulevard motel normally would fill up with bikers attending the Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Bikefest, but business this year is down 30 to 50 percent, said owner Fred Smith.

The Bikefest could be relied on to bring more than 200,000 bikers in recent years, up until about two years ago. But several new ordinances in Myrtle Beach - including a helmet requirement - went into effect in 2009, noticeably driving down attendance. Officials in Myrtle Beach, which has attracted many thousands of bikers for two spring motorcycle rallies, have since worked to establish festivals and other events to attract more families during May.

Fewer bikers bring less business to Myrtle Beach hotels like the Sea Hawk, which struggles to fill rooms. Another hotel owner, Mary Frances Tall, of the Sea Dip Motel & Condominiums, said her business is down about half from two years ago.

Smith said the ordinances have done most of the damage, but the weak economy also stops many bikers from coming. Lower demand for rooms hit the Sea Hawk doubly hard, he said, and room rates dropped drastically to draw tourists.

"The rates went to the pot," Smith said. "You're getting maybe 50 percent."

In an attempt to draw some business, Smith said he called vacationers and bikers who stayed during the last rally, but many said they would not return because the city doesn't want them.

"Most of them say, 'Are you kidding, asking me to come to Myrtle Beach?'" he said.

There still are a few loyal bikers who stay at the motel, Smith said, expecting a group to check in late Friday afternoon.

Mom and pop motels may be struggling more than larger hotels. The high-rise Caribbean Resorts and Villas, also on Ocean Boulevard, is nearly sold out for the weekend, according to revenue manager Mike Alfano.

Bikers make up about half of the people staying in the hotel, Alfano said, a lower proportion than last year. Although business remains good, the hotel felt the sting of the ordinances earlier in the month during the Cruisin' the Coast spring bike rally.

"Harley week was down," Alfano said. "A lot of Harley guys are more offended by [the ordinances]."

Hotels outside of Myrtle Beach may be suffering less. Large North Myrtle Beach hotels like the Avista and Prince resorts are filling up, said Marc Jordan, president and chief executive of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce.

"I think people were a little more prepared than last year," Jordan said. "Things were definitely down last year, and they've definitely improved this year."

Tony Clark, who rides with the Speed Shifters motorcycle club, has stayed at the Caribbean Resorts and Villas since he started attending the Bikefest more than seven years ago. Clark, a Philadelphia resident, said he has remained loyal to the Myrtle Beach hotel, but the new helmet ordinances have led many bikers to stay outside of city limits.

Bikefest attendance seems comparable to previous years, he said, but bikers are just staying more on the north and south ends of the Grand Strand.

"Everybody comes down, they just stay in different places," Clark said. "If their aim was stopping people from coming, they can't do that."

Art Lawrence of Salisbury, Md., said he stays in North Myrtle Beach to avoid the helmet requirement. The rally has maybe a quarter of the people compared with two years ago, he said. Fewer vendors and the helmet law passed by Myrtle Beach in 2008 has taken a lot of the enjoyment out of the rally, he said, and he may not attend next year.

"When I first came 16 years ago, it was fun," Lawrence said. "It's not fun anymore."

Tall said with fewer bikers, Myrtle Beach needs to do something to draw more vacationers.

About 14 festivals and events were introduced along the Grand Strand this May, many aimed at drawing more family-friendly tourists. But the events haven't drawn more people to the motel, Tall said.

"We need more business here," she said. "We need help."