As virus spikes in S.C. tourist destinations, chambers spend millions to lure visitors
Note: This story is the result of a reporting partnership with our sister newspaper, The Island Packet in Hilton Head.
As several states warn about vacationing in South Carolina, two coastal communities are spending millions to entice visitors to travel to the area, despite rising COVID-19 cases.
South Carolina tourist destinations Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island have ramped up their marketing efforts as both regions receive national attention with state and local leaders encouraging tourism but failing to make any substantial decisions that could significantly limit the spread of coronavirus as cases continue to boom.
Several states have also reported over 100 cases being linked to Myrtle Beach following visits, something that Karen Riordan, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce CEO and president, says is unnecessary.
“There’s been some very hurtful and very large distribution papers that have said extremely negative things about South Carolina, and Myrtle Beach in particular, but we cannot allow that to lie,” Riordan said in a July 14 City Council meeting. “The last time we checked this is worldwide pandemic; it just seems to me to be a step backwards to be blaming one state.”
Horry County, which is home to Myrtle Beach, has reported over 6,700 cases since the start of June, only two weeks after the area reopened to tourism.
In total, the county has had 7,174 confirmed coronavirus cases since the first was reported in mid-March.
Cases have been rising in Hilton Head as well. Its surrounding Beaufort County has reported 2,210 cases since the start of June. That’s the lion’s share of the county’s 2,517 cases since the pandemic began.
Despite limited measures in place — both destinations have mandates requiring face masks be worn — the area chambers of commerce in these communities have gone on the offensive to promote tourism with advertisements and marketing campaigns targeting states such as New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, with families the primary demographic.
Currently, those states, along with nearly a dozen others, have travel restrictions in place, requiring those visiting South Carolina to quarantine for two weeks upon their return, along with others measures to discourage travel.
“It is possible to social distance and go to the beach,” Riordan said. “We’re trying to hammer the idea that places don’t spread COVID-19, people do.”
Myrtle Beach raises its game
Since March 1, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce has spent just under $6.8 million on advertising, which is 37% less than the same time period last year, according to Riordan.
During the height of the pandemic, the chamber shut down advertising in a few select but larger markets, including New York, West Virginia, Connecticut, Virginia and New Jersey, while still “aggressively” marketing in other nearby states, the Southeast region and portions of the Midwest, Southwest and Northeast.
Chamber officials couldn’t provide figures for money spent on advertising efforts during the spring months, when everything shut down due to COVID-19. However, in March and April, marketing was focused on keeping Myrtle Beach “top of mind” for future travel through social media, Riordan said, with efforts ramping up in most major markets in May and June.
As of July 6, all digital promotions have resumed in the more than 60 markets, with advertisements specifically targeting families.
While some digital spots emphasize the need to travel responsibly, wear masks and highlight the open beaches and attractions, others encourage tourism with small lettering at the top of the ad recommending people to follow all safety guidelines while vacationing.
Web banner ads make no mention of coronavirus but promote the “60 miles of wide open beaches” and that “It’s time to get back to where you belong.” With apologies to Elton John, the promotion proclaims, “The Beach is Back.”
Riordan noted, though, the feedback from these ads hasn’t been too favorable with South Carolina, and specifically the Myrtle Beach area, labeled a coronavirus hotspot by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control in June.
“People are so emotional, so negative and toxic, that even a simple beautiful sunrise (social media post) that you’d think couldn’t offend anybody in the world is getting people ranting and raving,” Riordan said. “With people being that irrational right now, there’s not a lot we can do except just keep moving on.”
She added that while people are relatively “fine” with the digital and television advertisements, the chamber has received calls from out-of-state residents asserting they don’t feel safe traveling anywhere right now and don’t appreciate the commercials.
But Riordan said the advertising is necessary for when people are ready to travel again.
“We want to stay on people’s radar, even if they don’t visit in July, we don’t want them to forget about us and decide to travel someplace else,” she said.
Those efforts resulted in a large haul of tourists inundating the area for weeks when the city reopened for tourism on May 15. That first two weekends, one being Memorial Day, resulted in the city seeing a 100 percent occupancy rate in hotels and other accommodations services.
However, tourism has decreased by 27.2 percent compared with last year, according to the latest figures provided by the Coastal Carolina University Clay Brittain Jr. Center for Resort Tourism.
Hotel rates this year are down compared to last year but occupancy numbers held steady week-to-week in May and early June. Though, in late June there was a dramatic shift downward, around the time COVID-19 cases were spiking and the city was making national headlines.
Last year, from the end of June through mid-July, at least 85 percent of hotel rooms were booked. This year, 78 percent of rooms were booked for the weekend of June 27. For the week of July 4, occupancy rates dropped to 64 percent, with it further decreasing to 57.9 percent on July 11.
As of July 13, the chamber cited continued seat reductions — from 196,613 to 187,721 — by air service carriers over the previous week. Furthermore, August schedules show 164,436 seats compared with the 228,997 reported on June 28.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Riordan blames the decrease on the bad press the area has received by national news outlets.
The Washington Post recently called Myrtle Beach a “petri dish” for the virus, while The New York Times reported that South Carolina ranks third in the world in the number of new cases per million residents, behind only Arizona and Florida.
She also contributes the decline in tourism to elected leaders across the nation advising residents to avoid South Carolina, and if they travel, to quarantine for two weeks upon their return.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has long been a critic of states, such as South Carolina, Florida and Arizona, opening too soon after coronavirus cases started to infect the population. New York, which was once an epicenter of the virus, has put strict mandates in place discouraging travel and enforcing quarantine measures.
Several other state leaders, such as those in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, have also advised residents to avoid traveling to South Carolina after cases were linked to Myrtle Beach following vacations.
“It’s counterproductive for governors in states to be blaming other states for cases that are in their states,” Riordan said, noting that it’s impossible to know whether a person was sick when they arrived to Myrtle Beach or got sick while vacationing. “Pointing the finger and blaming Myrtle Beach and South Carolina seems very unnecessary.”
She added it’s been a very busy time for public relations, with the chamber currently working to correct any “misinformation” shared by other state officials and media outlets.
Despite tourism on the decline and other states’ measures, Riordan said marketing to those areas are “major feeder markets” for the chamber. Through digital and social media marketing, she said there is still interest from travelers in those markets.
“We monitor traveler sentiment every day and at the end of June, the negative sentiment indicated that a short pause (in marketing) was appropriate,” Riordan said. “We will continue to monitor our advertising programs in all markets to ensure the message can be effective to potential travelers.”
Hilton Head still garners favorable publicity
Lifelong visitors to the island report keeping their vacations on the books while planning to get grocery delivery and limiting shopping trips. Others say their trips have been marred by concerns that those around them are not taking the pandemic seriously.
“It’s been good,” Ashley Palmer said on the last day of her family’s trip during the July Fourth holiday week. “Just a little stressful because no one’s wearing masks, and so we’ve been really limited as to how often we’re going out.”
Palmer’s family, which included her elderly in-laws and three children, wore masks any time they left their north-end rental and only ordered takeout on their trip.
Holiday weekends that draw thousands of visitors to Hilton Head have appeared to fall in line with previous years as hotels and restaurants began reopening prior to Memorial Day weekend.
July Fourth weekend, although void of the traditional fireworks shows that pack hundreds into parks and waterfront restaurants, was a picture of summertime tourism.
“I think it’s good, it’s very relaxing, it’s way more uptight in North Carolina,” Raleigh resident Mike Wall said of Hilton Head. “Out here it feels more like back to normal. I think people are getting over everything and are trying to return to normal as much as possible.”
The return to normal is marked by an emergence of Hilton Head in national marketing campaigns and features in travel magazines.
Hilton Head’s environmental riches were touted in a July 8 list of the “Best islands in the continental U.S.” Although it toppled from its No. 1 spot, the publication of winners acknowledged the island’s beauty and range of activities on a national stage.
One day later, Hilton Head was the subject of a Business Insider article that rounded up the best Airbnb deals on the island. Although the article contained a disclaimer about the coronavirus, it featured nine rentals that it touted as safer than staying in hotels.
“South Carolina is currently experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases, so you may want to pause that trip for next weekend and instead plan ahead for the future when it becomes safer,” reporter Paul Oswell wrote.
On July 10, Southern Living gave Hilton Head a nod in an article that detailed a day of boating around the sea islands, including Daufuskie Island and Hilton Head.
“We pass the striped lighthouse of Harbour Town, resisting the final siren calls of Hilton Head, and continue down the Intracoastal, across Calibogue Sound and into the May River, bound for a place reachable only by water that calls itself an island ‘like no other,’” journalist and Wadmalaw Island resident John Huey wrote.
The magazine again sang the praises of Hilton Head in its July 12 article “The Ultimate South Carolina Shrimp Road Trip,” where contributor Stephanie Hunt featured Hudson’s Seafood on the Docks and the Sonesta Resort on Hilton Head.
There was no mention of coronavirus in either article.
Although the articles are not paid marketing, Hilton Head’s presence in the travel journalism industry is a stark departure from the months of radio silence during the early months of the pandemic.
The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce requested $470,000 for marketing during the coronavirus pandemic, but put its marketing plans on hold in May.
It has not received the money, which must be approved by the Town Council, town Finance Director John Troyer confirmed last week.
In a marketing release, the chamber distributed news releases that mentioned the organization’s Path Forward Readiness Plan. The chamber has not shared how much it’s spent on marketing in recent months, but cited a $310 million economic loss to Beaufort County due to the coronavirus.
The releases were picked up by websites like Travel Pulse and MENAFN, a business and finance news resource. They list general guidelines for restaurants, hotels, rentals and retail, such as mentioning that hand sanitizer is available at all stores, and restaurant employees are required to wear masks.
“America’s #1 Island is safely welcoming back visitors when they are ready to do so. Discover the irresistible Southern charm of this resort town, with island activities that cater to both the young and young-at-heart, including opportunities for recreation and relaxation,” the releases say.
Local leaders take steps to ensure public safety
As coronavirus cases continued to significantly rise in the Myrtle Beach area, local leaders throughout Horry County took action just before the July Fourth holiday weekend, approving mandates that require face masks or coverings in public places.
With the exception of Surfside Beach, which only recommends masks be worn, each municipal ordinance carries a different set of rules and fines. But places like Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Horry County and Atlantic Beach similarly mandate masks be worn in places like groceries, pharmacies, restaurants, and anywhere social distancing can’t be adhered to.
The ordinances don’t apply to public parks or beaches.
While violators across the Grand Strand could face a fine of anywhere from $25 to $100, few-to-no citations have been issued in each municipality since ordinances went into effect.
The city of Myrtle Beach issued three citations shortly after the ordinance went into effect, with none written since, Myrtle Beach Police spokesperson Cpl. Thomas Vest said. North Myrtle Beach spokesperson Pat Dowling added no individual or business has been cited, noting a 99% compliance rate.
Horry County has not issued any citations, officials said.
While the compliance rate for face masks was about 10% in May and fewer than 25% in June, it has increased to about 80-90% since measures went into effect.
Further south on Hilton Head, anyone on the island has been required to wear face masks in all commercial spaces since June 30.
The rule doesn’t extend to public parks and beaches, but the roar of summertime tourism has returned even as cases spike in Beaufort County.
Hilton Head’s mask ordinances is one of the requirements that carries the strictest penalties in the Lowcountry. Failing to wear a mask can land you with a fine of up to $500 or up to 30 days in jail. It’s a misdemeanor, although no one has been charged for violating the ordinance, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Hilton Head doesn’t have its own police force, so the Sheriff’s Office is tasked with enforcing differing mask laws in each of the county’s four municipalities. The town has two code enforcement officers who are also responsible for enforcing local ordinances.
Statewide, while dozens of municipalities have enforced their own mandates, Gov. Henry McMaster has said ad nauseum that he has no plans to close the beaches or implement a statewide mask law, claiming it’s enforceable.
COVID-19 cases linked to Myrtle Beach-area vacations
Several states, including New Jersey, West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, have either publicly reported or confirmed to The Sun News coronavirus cases tied back to trips to the Grand Strand.
Mid-June, Preston County, West Virginia was the first area to warn its residents about vacations to Myrtle Beach with at least 30 cases traced back to the area following recent trips. At the time, the county had fewer than 20 cases before their outbreak. Preston County health officials asked anyone vacationing in a crowded area to be extra cautious, practice social distancing and to wear a face mask.
Gov. Jim Justice at the time warned residents against traveling to the Grand Strand.
“I would think twice before I did that, West Virginia, right now because they got a real problem going on,” he said during a June press conference.
Additionally, at least five West Virginia counties have tied COVID-19 cases to Myrtle Beach vacations.
Also in June, about 14 students from Belmont County, Ohio had tested positive for COVID-19 after a trip to Myrtle Beach, Robert Sproul, deputy health commissioner with the Belmont Health Department, said.
Later, roughly 100 teens from Washington D.C. tested positive for coronavirus after a trip to Myrtle Beach, health officials said. Loudoun County, Virginia, Health Director David Goodfriend said the area saw triple-digit cases following the trip.
Kentucky health officials also linked at least 10 cases to visits along the Grand Strand, but have not released the counties where those residents live.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on July 5, that a national mask rule is needed while also noting that his state had seen a spike as some residents return home from beach cities like Myrtle Beach.
“We’re starting to see small spikes in reinfection from folks coming back from places like Myrtle Beach, as well as in Florida, other hotspots,” Murphy said. “To me it says we need a national strategy. We’re only as strong as our weakest link right now.”
He said his state “went through hell” and cannot “afford to go through hell again,” a similar sentiment other Tri-State area Governors have said publicly.
In Pennsylvania, the health department in Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, stated in a news release on July 3 that it was investigating 712 new coronavirus cases that were confirmed during the last week of June. Some of them are from people who reported they recently traveled to areas including Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head. Other destinations listed included Miami, Raleigh, North Carolina, Tampa, Florida, and Nashville Tennessee, the release stated.
Aside from Pennsylvania, there have been no official connections made by state health departments between positive cases and travel to Hilton Head. The area is popular with tourists from Ohio, upstate New York, North Carolina and Atlanta.
South Carolina government leaders have previously advised those visiting area beaches should get tested for coronavirus.
“If you’ve gone to the beach, you’ve likely come in contact with somebody who is positive, but perhaps asymptomatic,” said Joan Duwve, director of public health with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Infection rates are high among people who visit the state’s beaches, Duwve said. She said they have reports of whole groups visiting beaches then testing positive.
She advised anyone who went to the beach on a school trip and participated in group activities — especially those who lacked social distancing or didn’t wear a mask — should get tested.
“It would be a good idea,” Duwve said.
Travel advisories are issued for South Carolina
Currently, a litany of states have rules in place requiring those traveling to South Carolina to quarantine for 14 days upon return.
New York, which has lifted public health restrictions in phases after months of being pounded by coronavirus, has tightened its stance against interstate travel, with Gov. Cuomo asserting visitors from at least 19 states, including South Carolina, will face a $2,000 fine if they fail to fill out mandatory forms with their travel plans and contact information.
The questionnaire was originally optional with quarantine measures recommended, but officials are wary of who to let in, and where they go and what they do after they’ve arrived. The form will be handed out at all New York airports and available online for those traveling by car or train.
The state also requires its own residents to quarantine for 14 days after visits, with workers disqualified from receiving COVID-19 paid sick leave if they spend time in South Carolina.
“It’s only for the simple reason that we worked very hard to get the viral transmission rate down,” Cuomo said in a June 24 press conference “We don’t want to see it go up because a lot of people come into this region and could literally bring this infection with them.”
Those traveling to Connecticut and New Jersey must also fill out the travel form before arriving, with visitors in Connecticut subject to a $1,000 fine if they fail to fill out the form or quarantine. The mandate applies to all travelers, with spot checks conducted at Bradley International Airport.
Other states, such as Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Vermont, Rhode Island, Alaska, Hawaii and Chicago, Illinois, also have self-quarantine rules and/or have South Carolina listed on their travel advisory.
Coronavirus cases climb in Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head
As of Friday, Horry County recorded a total of 7,174 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 101 deaths.
Prior to the area hosting its first testing event on May 30, Horry County had reported 426 coronavirus cases since the first case was reported on March 15. Since May 31, Horry County has seen 6,700 COVID-19 cases, as of Friday.
The uptick in cases resulted in the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control labeling the area a coronavirus “hotspot” on June 8. Since then, case numbers have largely been reported in the triple digits, with the highest daily count reaching 358 on July 4.
Cases remained in the triple digits, exceeding 200 days later on July 6, July 11, and July 12.
Even as late as Friday, the county saw positive cases rise by another 122.
A similar situation is playing out in Beaufort County, where Hilton Head is located, although on a smaller scale. The county reported only single digit numbers of new cases between April 10 and May 23. Starting June 8, or two weeks after Memorial Day, Beaufort County has reported at least double-digit case numbers every day.
Three times in recent weeks, July 7, July 11 and July 16, Beaufort County has reported peak numbers of 105 and 108 new cases in a single day.
Overall, South Carolina has 73,101 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,203 deaths, according to DHEC, as of Tuesday.
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "As virus spikes in S.C. tourist destinations, chambers spend millions to lure visitors ."
