Throughout June, Visit Myrtle Beach worked with national media, local news outlets and content creators to keep the Grand Strand top of mind for travelers planning vacations.
These efforts help inspire future trips, support area businesses and strengthen the local economy.
One of the month’s biggest highlights came June 9, when Myrtle Beach was featured on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” Nationally recognized travel expert Emily Kaufman, also known as “The Travel Mom,” destination in a South Carolina road trip series that introduced viewers to iconic attractions such as the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, SkyWheel, Broadway at the Beach and Ripley's Aquarium. Visit Myrtle Beach supported the production with local coordination and destination video assets, helping showcase the Grand Strand to a nationwide audience.
Other national coverage reached travelers with a variety of interests. Travel + Leisure named Myrtle Beach one of the 10 most affordable places to visit in the U.S. in August, highlighting the destination’s Make More Myrtle Moments lodging offers, family entertainment, dining scene and seasonal experiences. Forbes included comments from Visit Myrtle Beach President Stuart Butler in a story about lower fuel costs and summer travel, helping position the Grand Strand as an affordable and accessible destination. Myrtle Beach was also featured in Allegiant’s Nonstop Life magazine, reaching airline passengers, while ConventionSouth introduced meeting planners to the area’s wineries, breweries and distilleries. Together, these stories kept Myrtle Beach in front of families, business readers, airline passengers and meeting planners as they considered future travel.
The communications team also worked with local and regional media to promote events happening across the Grand Strand. Ahead of Independence Day, Visit Myrtle Beach shared a guide to July Fourth celebrations, including free fireworks, flyovers and family activities planned for America’s 250th anniversary. Providing these details in one place made it easier for news outlets to inform residents and visitors while helping people plan where to celebrate. The team also participated in local media interviews surrounding Carolina Country Music Fest. The interviews highlighted the excitement of the event along with its positive impact on area businesses and the local tourism economy.
Recent content creator partnerships continued producing strong results in June. Videos from Alexia Hargrove’s May visit received more than 3 million views and 200,000 reactions, comments and shares, making it Visit Myrtle Beach’s highest-performing creator partnership of the year so far. James Barrett’s “Merman’s Guide to Myrtle Beach” also reached new audiences through online coverage, social media and a newsletter that achieved a 32% open rate. Partnerships like these allow travelers to discover local restaurants, attractions, accommodations and communities through relatable, firsthand experiences.
During June, Myrtle Beach media coverage generated more than 1.2 billion potential views across television, online, print and other platforms. That exposure was estimated to be worth $16.1 million in advertising value. So far this year, communications efforts have generated more than 13.2 billion potential views and nearly $280 million in estimated advertising value. These figures show how widely the Grand Strand’s story is traveling and how continued media exposure can encourage visitation, support local businesses and contribute to a stronger quality of life for residents.
Much of the team’s work in June will continue producing results in the months ahead. The team is preparing for a national Family Fun Month television interview series, developing late-summer and fall story ideas, planning future visits for travel writers and coordinating upcoming content creator partnerships. These efforts will help keep the Grand Strand visible as travelers plan fall getaways and future vacations and will keep Myrtle Beach top of mind as a year-round destination.