Spring tourism solid along the Grand Strand

It took a while to heat up, but spring tourism had a solid showing thanks to low gas prices and rising consumer confidence, officials said.

Harsh winter weather that kept some potential vacationers stuck in the Northeast made for a chilly start, but as soon as the weather improved, hotel rooms started filling up.

“People had such a bad winter, they just wanted to get out of it,” said Tom Moore, general manager of the Hampton Inn & Suites Myrtle Beach Oceanfront, where spring business is up about 5 percent compared to spring last year.

From March 8 through April 18, lodging occupancy at hotels, condotels and campsites was about 61 percent, up about 5 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Coastal Carolina University’s Clay Brittain Jr. Center for Resort Tourism. And visitors paid more for their rooms -- the average daily rate was up about 12 percent from last spring. That led to a 17 percent increase in revenue per available room, or RevPar, a key gauge in the lodging industry.

But vacation rental houses, which make up about 25 percent of the market, took a hit this spring, with the average 53 percent occupancy rate those six weeks down about 27 percent compared to the same period last year, according to CCU’s tourism center.

“The spring tourism season started slow but picked up when warm temperatures arrived and has turned out to be a very solid spring,” said Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. “Consumer confidence is rising and, as a result, travelers are beginning to spend more. The increased spending is evident in the lodging sector, where hotel rates are generally increasing.”

Sports events happening in the area that lure out-of-town players and their families, especially youth tournaments at the new sports complexes along the Grand Strand, have helped spring business, a niche that Moore expects will grow. Church groups and bus tours also have helped.

“Those fill in the blanks,” Moore said.

Lower gas prices and warmer weather likely lured some leisure vacationers during the spring, with a flurry of last-minute bookings as folks looking for a quick getaway reserved rooms after seeing if the weather was going to cooperate, Dean said. Gas prices are more than $1 less a gallon than this time last year, with the average in Myrtle Beach at $2.35, though they have been ticking up, according to AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report.

The strong spring bodes well for summer tourism -- as long as gas prices stay low and the economy doesn’t take a hit, Dean said.

Moore said the hotel’s phones have been ringing and advance deposits are stacking up.

“It tells me we are going to have a great summer,” Moore said.

This story was originally published May 4, 2015 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Spring tourism solid along the Grand Strand."