How Media Markets are Selected
Visit Myrtle Beach utilizes MMGY’s proprietary Total Market Score (ToMS) methodology to guide market selection and investment strategy. ToMS is a data-driven scoring model that aggregates multiple performance indicators into a single, normalized opportunity index. These inputs include engaged website sessions, visitation data, terminal audience concentration, air access, gas price dynamics and real-time travel demand signals. By combining historical performance with forward-looking opportunity metrics, ToMS ensures our marketing dollars are deployed where they can generate the greatest economic return for the destination.
Importantly, this technology-driven approach allows us to remain nimble and flexible in our marketing execution. As market conditions shift — whether due to economic changes, booking window compression, air service adjustments or emerging demand trends — ToMS enables us to recalibrate media weight, reallocate budget and adjust messaging with speed and precision. The strategy is built to evolve in real time, ensuring we stay responsive to traveler behavior and protect return on investment for our partners and community.
Drive Markets
Drive markets remain the foundation of Visit Myrtle Beach’s demand strategy and represent our most efficient opportunity for conversion. These markets, located within approximately 300 miles of the destination, generate strong repeat visitation, shorter booking windows and higher trip intent. For 2026, we continue to prioritize key Southeastern metros across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, with expanded emphasis in select Kentucky and Florida markets based on updated demand modeling and travel behavior trends.
Our drive strategy is aligned to seasonal planning behavior, school calendars and peak booking windows. Messaging in these markets reinforces both value and depth of experience — ensuring Myrtle Beach is positioned not simply as an affordable beach option, but as a destination offering 60 miles of experiences year-round. Media flighting is intentionally paced around spring break, summer vacation planning, fall shoulder travel and winter getaway opportunities to maximize conversion efficiency.
The Visit Myrtle Beach’s Paid Media Market Activation Strategy allocates advertising investments based on market type, focusing on four categories: long haul, short haul, opportunity, and national markets. This tailored approach aims to increase outreach and engagement with target audiences, ensuring resources are used effectively. By targeting these segments, the strategy will boost visibility for the Myrtle Beach area, attracting visitors from various demographics.
Long-Haul Markets
Long-haul markets represent a strategic growth lever for higher-yield travelers, extended stays and shoulder-season expansion. These markets, located beyond 300 miles, include high-population metros with strong air connectivity and above-average travel propensity. Tier 1 markets include the Northeast corridor — such as New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Boston — while Tier 2 markets span the Midwest and key Southern hubs including Columbus, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas-Ft. Worth and select Florida metros.
Investment in long-haul markets is informed directly by ToMS scoring, air service strategy and demand signals indicating opportunity for incremental visitation. Messaging in these markets emphasizes Myrtle Beach as a true four-season destination with depth beyond the shoreline — including culinary experiences, music, golf, outdoor recreation and authentic community character. Particular focus is placed on attracting travelers who book earlier, stay longer and contribute higher per-visitor spend, especially during non-peak periods.
Audience & Market Expansion Strategy
In addition to geographic prioritization through ToMS, our strategy is further refined through Terminal Audience segmentation, Air Service market alignment and targeted B2B activation to ensure precision across both leisure and group demand.
Our Terminal Audiences — Expert Explorers, Savvy Socials, Practical Parents and Trusted Traditionalists — allow us to move beyond broad demographic targeting and instead activate against behavioral, psychographic and spending profiles. This segmentation enables tailored creative, media placement and messaging aligned to traveler motivation, household income and booking behavior. By prioritizing high-value traveler segments who book earlier, stay longer and spend more, we improve both conversion efficiency and economic yield.
Visit Myrtle Beach’s approach to targeting audiences will focus on Terminal addressable audiences to maximize reach and engagement across multiple media channels.
Key Target Audiences
Expert Explorers: These individuals are characterized by their desire for knowledge and adventure. They seek in-depth information about destinations and experiences, which allows them to make informed travel decisions.
Savvy Socials: This group is highly engaged with social media and values authentic experiences shared by peers. They look for recommendations and insights from their social networks and influencers they trust.
Practical Parents: Families traveling with children often prioritize value, safety, and convenience. They are looking for destinations that offer family-friendly activities and accommodations that cater to their needs.
Trusted Traditionalists: This audience includes individuals who tend to lean towards tried-and-true destinations and experiences. They appreciate reliability and familiarity when planning their travels.
By tailoring marketing efforts to these specific audiences, Visit Myrtle Beach aims to create targeted campaigns that resonate with potential visitors, ultimately driving interest and increasing travel to the Myrtle Beach area.
Our Air Service markets receive dedicated attention in coordination with airline partners and route performance data. When new or expanding routes demonstrate opportunity, we deploy targeted media support to accelerate demand, increase load factors and strengthen long-term route sustainability. This ensures marketing investment aligns with air access growth and maximizes return on both tourism and infrastructure investment.
Finally, our B2B markets — including Meetings, Groups and Sports — operate under a complementary but distinct activation strategy. These efforts focus on qualified lead generation, RFP submissions and pipeline support for our sales team. Primary B2B markets include North Carolina and South Carolina, with expansion into Georgia, Florida and Texas where association, fraternal and sports planning demand is strongest. Media and messaging in these markets emphasize facility assets, connectivity, affordability, attendee experience and year-round availability to drive definite bookings and room nights.
Together, this layered targeting approach ensures that Visit Myrtle Beach’s marketing strategy is not only geographically strategic, but audience-intelligent, access-aligned and economically focused.