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MB ranked second in travel survey
MB ranked second in travel survey
By Emma Ritch - The Sun News
A national traveler survey by D.K. Shifflet & Associates released this week ranked the area as the second most popular family summer destination behind Orlando, Fla.
The designation is based on four years of data and includes only discretionary leisure travel - it does not include work travel, visits to relatives or special events such as weddings, according to spokesman Jim Caldwell. The D.K. Shifflet & Associates ranking was based on the total number of days that travelers stay in the destination.
Myrtle Beach was boosted because it has one of the longest average stays in the country, Caldwell said. About 70 percent of visitors stay four to seven nights, according to 2005 data from the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. The average stay here is five nights.
Orlando, by comparison, had a 2005 average length of stay of 4.3 nights, according to the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The comparison, released Tuesday, was the first of its kind for Shifflet and used a large sample and time frame to get an accurate portrayal of the areas, Caldwell said.
"It's great news for our area," chamber President Brad Dean said of the results.
"D.K. Shifflet is a highly regarded national research firm."
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