Popular SC tourist destination named top beach for out-of-state vacationers
A well-known South Carolina tourist town has been named one of the most-sought-after beaches in the United States, a study found.
Myrtle Beach is the most searched beach in 18 states so far in 2025, according to a study by PrivacyJournal. The study looked at search data such as “hotels” and “things to do” attached to the names of 100 popular U.S. beaches.
Myrtle Beach came out on top, dominating searches in New England and part of the Midwest and the South. Other top beaches include Clearwater Beach in Florida, which topped nine states, and Virginia Beach in Virginia, which topped eight states.
The Grand Strand area has been a popular vacation spot for decades, drawing in over 18 million tourists every year, according to the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. The Myrtle Beach area has also seen a massive population boom in recent years. Horry County’s population has almost doubled in the past 10 years, The Sun News reported.
Top tourist activities in Myrtle Beach include the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, Broadway at the Beach and the various dinner theaters scattered across the area.
“This report reinforces our research and similar studies such as the 2025 TripAdvisor Summer Travel Index that placed Myrtle Beach as the No. 1 Beach Destination in the U.S. for summer travel and No. 3 overall U.S. destination, behind only New York City and Las Vegas,” wrote Visit Myrtle Beach president Stuart Butler in an email to The Sun News. “As our residents and visitors know, the Myrtle Beach area delivers unmatched, family friendly value, variety and vibrancy.”
