Myrtle Beach Tourism Interests Move Forward Despite Wildfires
As firefighters continue their efforts Thursday to control the wildfires in inland portions of Horry County, Grand Strand-area tourism interests continued their operations - while also offering assistance to those displaced by the situation.
Brad Dean, President & CEO of Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, offered the following statement late this morning: "The fire is limited to a small area of the Grand Strand. The National Guard is on site to assist. We do not expect this to affect tourism in the long- or short-term. We are pleased to report that everyone is safe thanks to efforts by emergency personnel."
In response to the American Red Cross' call for financial contributions, water/Gatorade and discounted housing assistance, MyrtleBeachHotels.com has set up a special fire victim's rate at its hotels for those affected. Site visitors may log on to Myrtlebeachhotels.com for short- and long-term lodging needs, and click a hotel link on the bottom right of the home page for contact information. Callers should then advise the reservationist that they are inquiring about the fire victim's rate.
http://www.mbsun.com/assets_c/2009/04/Waterway Fire 1-thumb-250x189.jpgThe Myrtle Beach-area golf industry was also pressing forward. While the Barefoot Resort courses were closed, all other area courses were open for play while continuing to closely monitor the situation. This includes Waterway Hills Golf Course (left, shown today), which was erroneously reported Wednesday evening by various media outlets to have sustained fire damage. At 12 p.m. Thursday the course was operating on its normal schedule, had not sustained any fire damage, and its parking lot was full as golfers played their scheduled rounds.
Travelers should be advised, however, of road closures impacting traffic coming in and out of the North Myrtle Beach area. The Sun News reported early Thursday afternoon that S.C. 22 from S.C. 90 to U.S. 17, and S.C. 31 from Robert Grissom Parkway to S.C. 9, are closed, according to Todd Cartner, Horry County Fire Rescue spokesman. Highway 17, including northbound access to Highway 9, remained open midday with moderate traffic. As such, and as long as the wildfire situation remains, motorists should allow for extra time to reach their destination.
Hi Jim,
Firstly, let me say, great blog. Hyper local sites like these play a very important role in the news equation.
I live in the UK and its amazing that stories like these are not picked up by the UK press. I really want this to change.
I recently visited South Carolina and made some good friends in the area. I am therefore very pleased that the emergency services seem to have coped with the fire so well, and that the prognosis for the area is good.
Thanks for the story and stay safe.