Statistics show that lodging services on the Grand Strand might be experiencing the same situation as passenger traffic at Myrtle Beach International Airport has declined over the past two months.
The number of people traveling through the airport dropped by 7.5% in May, and by 11% in June.
Vacation rentals and Airbnbs were 87% occupied last week, a 6% decrease from the same week last year.
However, there has been a combined 18% increase from the first two weeks of July when compared with the same time a year ago and a 10% increase for hotels.
Chamber President Karen Riordan said recent numbers have been positive.
“The Grand Strand’s average occupancy levels have been outpacing last year for the past three months with July up over 10 percent from 2022,” Riordan said in a statement. “The trend we are seeing this year is that more travelers are deciding to wait longer [last minute] before booking their accommodations, so they’re making more last-minute travel decisions and looking at various factors like the price at the pump and the weather forecast.”
Last minute empty rooms are often provided with deep discounts to last minute buyers. This pattern has been true for 2023.
Although we might see Airport passenger traffic numbers down over 21 and 22, those were essentially anomalous years, according to Ryan Betcher, airport spokesman. “We have retained most of that traffic for the most part.”
The number is now lower as the COVID-10 pandemic winds down, Betcher said.
“[The years] 2021 and 22 were kind of … recovery years, and Myrtle Beach really led the nation in terms of airport growth,” Betcher said. Our expectation was that there would eventually be a normalization of the industry, and it would essentially settle out a little as the rest of the county caught up.
Ryan Betcher, an airport spokesman, said that even though numbers might be down, 21 and 22 were really growth years for us, and most of that traffic has remained.
As the COVID-10 pandemic began to wind down, Betcher said the number seemed to be decreasing.
“[The years] 2021 and 22 were kind of … recovery years, and Myrtle Beach really led the nation as a recovering airport, really in that passenger traffic growth,” Betcher said. “As we expected, there would be a normalization of the industry and it would essentially settle out as the rest of the county caught up.”
In the next 30 days, our booking pace is lagging behind last year; however, we are confident that the booking pace will continue to increase throughout July and August. The average price of gas has dropped nearly a dollar since last year, and the weather has been great, which has amplified our 60 miles of beaches with gorgeous blue waters.”