Here’s where your tourism development fees are going

Transparency and nothing less

A recent letter-writer questioned how tourism development fees are being spent. We appreciate the opportunity to clear up what may be misconceptions. Readers who want detailed information can see the quarterly report of all TDF expenditures at www.MyrtleBeachAreaMarketing.com.

Building on this transparency, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce shares research used to make advertising decisions, measurement metrics, committee meeting minutes and more.

Just to clear up an error of fact: The chamber did not underwrite the industry recruitment trip to China, though we do, in fact, applaud politicians who aggressively recruit new industry to our community.

To a related point, the businesses who are chamber members do contribute much. They invest millions of dollars annually to support the chamber and its advertising campaign. (Any public funds we receive are used only for promotion and publicity.)

Finally, is the TDF working? Absolutely! Since implementation, the Grand Strand tourism industry has enjoyed remarkable growth. For those who desire accuracy in reporting and crave accountability with transparency, we share your standards and will hold ourselves to nothing less.

The writer is president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

This story was originally published August 14, 2016 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Here’s where your tourism development fees are going."