• The Myrtle Beach area ranked No. 4 on a list of 50 of the most popular motorcoach destinations of the decade, according to Byways magazine. The publication is produced for the National Motorcoach Network, a marketing network of more than 2,000 motorcoach tour operators. Others in the top five included Branson, Mo. (1), Washington, D.C. (2), Nashville, Tenn. (3), and New York City (5).

 

• The Myrtle Beach area is No. 2 on the list of top destinations for summer vacations in the United States, according to the most recent AAA survey. Others in the top five are Orlando, Fla. (1), Washington, D.C. (3), Niagara Falls, N.Y. (4), and Williamsburg, Va. (5).

 

• Myrtle Beach is the second most popular beach in the United States, according to USATODAY.com Travel Guide, an affiliate of the newspaper USAToday. The 2001 Beach Guide Top Ten Beaches were compiled after more than 3,000 readers responded, nominating hundreds of beaches from Hawaii to Maine.

 

• The International Association of Golf Tour Operators named the Myrtle Beach area the established golf destination of the year for 2000. Destinations are rated on customer satisfaction, support from suppliers and airlines, quality of golf courses and accommodations, and access to tee times.

 

• Restaurant Business magazine ranks the Myrtle Beach area No. 1 in the U.S. for growth potential. The area's market is growing nine times faster than the national average, and twice as fast as its closest competitor, Flagstaff, Ariz.

 

• The Myrtle Beach area has been named by Where to Retire magazine as one of the 100 Best Retirement Towns in America. Where to Retire is the leading source of information for more than 400,000 affluent and well-educated Americans who move across state lines to retire. Editors travel throughout the United States, visiting towns in all 50 states, to compile the "100 Best" list.

 

• The Myrtle Beach area has again been named a favorite travel destination by readers of Southern Living magazine. In its fifth annual Readers' Choice Awards, the area was named the South's second favorite beach and third most popular family destination. The area was selected from 63 travel destinations, with some 18,000 ballots cast in the survey.

Source: Myrtlebeachchamber.com