Economy Grand Strand

1 economy

1.1 tourism

1.1.1 motorcycle rallies


1.2 shopping

economy

the grand strand s economy dominated tourist industry, tourism bringing in millions of dollars each year. hotels, motels, resorts, restaurants, attractions, , retail developments exist in abundance service visitors.

there on 100 golf courses in , around myrtle beach golfing industry represents significant presence in area.

a manufacturing base produces plastic, rubber, cardboard, foam, , ceramic products in small scale.

tourism

a view of beach

hosting on 14.6 million visitors annually, grand strand home array of tourist attractions, , area receives large influx of visitors during spring , summer seasons.

the grand strand hosts variety of special conventions, events, , musical concerts. area s attractions include beaches , many golf courses, number of amusement parks, aquarium, imax theater, retail developments , on 1,900 restaurants including seafood restaurants, , number of shopping complexes. area has dinner theaters, nightclubs, , many tourist shops. myrtle beach has estimated 460 hotels, many on beachfront, , approximately 89,000 accommodation units in total. in city myrtle waves, 1 of largest water parks on eastern seaboard.

the myrtle beach boardwalk opened in 2010 , has been recognized nation s #3 boardwalk national geographic , 1 of best boardwalks travel + leisure magazine. opened in may 2011, myrtle beach skywheel features glass gondolas on atlantic ocean. myrtle beach state park, established in 1935, has under mile of grand strand beach , prime location swimming, hiking, biking, , fishing.

hotels in myrtle beach

the myrtle beach convention center large facility hosts array of different meetings, conferences, exhibits, , special events every year. center, opened in 2003, features sheraton hotel , resort.

myrtle beach welcomed hard rock park in 2008, themed after popular hard rock cafe chain. after financial issues, park became freestyle music park 2009 season. park features attractions themed after different genres of music, such british invasion. park did not open 2010 season however, , tied in legal issues.

each march since 1951 during ontario s spring break, myrtle beach has hosted canadian-american days, known can-am days. tens of thousands tourists come area week s worth of special events. myrtle beach home coastal uncorked, food , wine festival held in late spring annually. in june, graduated high school seniors come myrtle beach senior week.

with numerous professional fireworks displays along oceanfront, myrtle beach recognized among top destinations fourth of july travel. priceline.com ranked myrtle beach among top 20 destinations fourth of july in 2010.

gambling not legal in south carolina. however, myrtle beach residents , visitors have easy access gambling boat, transports passengers international waters beyond reach of federal , state gambling laws.

motorcycle rallies

myrtle beach bike week, called harley bike week week-long motorcycle rally started in 1940 , attracted many 200,000 visitors city every may. black bike week, founded in 1980, takes place weekend around memorial day weekend , largest african american motorcycle rally in , attracts many 400,000 visitors. event created in response history of discrimination against african-american visitors , riders myrtle beach , grand strand area.

the myrtle beach government created 15 new laws aimed @ preventing sanctioned motorcycle events within city in response controversy including accusations of racism african-american riders during event , complaints of lawlessness , poor behavior during highly attended events. several lawsuits national association advancement of colored people (naacp) against myrtle beach businesses settled agreements discrimination cease, compensation given plaintiffs, , employees given diversity training. naacp suit against city of myrtle beach settled in 2006 without city paying damages, agreement police use same traffic control rules during both black , white motorcycle rallies.

the south carolina supreme court in june 2010 unanimously overturned 1 of 15 ordinances, had required motorcyclists wear helmets, on grounds state law, requiring helmets riders under age 21, cannot preempted city ordinance. in addition, court ruled, ordinance created undue confusion, , city had invalidated own helmet law , other ordinances in subsequent amendment. law had been challenged group of motorcyclists , group of myrtle beach businesses called boost, business owners organized support tourism, opposed city s anti-motorcycle tourism policy.

shopping

heroes harbor @ broadway @ beach in june 2006

the grand strand area has many different stores , malls, 1 of largest shopping areas in southeastern united states, , largest shopping destination in south carolina.

barefoot landing opened in 1988 , includes 100 stores, restaurants , attractions. center has alabama theatre, has concerts traditional country music singers. center includes golf resort.
coastal grand mall opened in 2004 , largest indoor mall in state. mall, has indoor , outdoor shopping areas, has gross leasable area of 1,047,732 square feet (97,337.5 m). single-story facility hass 5 anchor stores (including belk, jcpenney, , dillard s), 14-screen movie theater, food court, , 170 stores.
myrtle beach mall 525,385 square feet (48,809.9 m), , has 3 anchor stores: bass pro shops, belk , jcpenney. single-story mall has 12-screen movie theater, food court, , variety of other specialty stores. used known colonial mall, , opened briarcliffe mall.
tanger outlets @ myrtle beach features on 100 brand name outlets such nautica , sony. located on u.s. route 501 entering city.
broadway @ beach shopping complex set on 350 acres (1.4 km) along highway 17 bypass, 3 theaters, 17 restaurants, more 100 specialty shops, attractions, nightclubs, , 3 hotels, surrounding 23-acre (93,000 m) lake broadway. largest festival entertainment complex in south carolina. has imax theater, ripley s aquarium, hard rock cafe, planet hollywood, jimmy buffett s margaritaville, , pavilion nostalgia park.
the market common district lifestyle center has several upscale shops, , movie theater. located on site of former myrtle beach air force base.




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