Myrtle Beach braces for Fourth of July surge as 70M Americans hit the road

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - With the Fourth of July falling on a Saturday for the first time since 2020, Myrtle Beach is preparing for a big holiday weekend.

This Independence Day marks the nation’s 250th birthday

AAA expects more than 70 million Americans to travel at least 50 miles from home, including more than five million by air.

While that figure exceeds last year’s total, AAA said the year-over-year increase is not as large as some recent holiday surges.

The Federal Aviation Administration said this Independence Day could see the heaviest air travel in 15 years.

TripAdvisor ranks Myrtle Beach as the number one domestic destination for U.S. travelers.

Visit Myrtle Beach Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications Diane Charno said the area is seeing more people traveling.

“In fact, we’re pacing ahead of the last two years in terms of what we’re seeing for occupancy,” Charno said.

Charno said the Fourth of July serves as the peak of the summer season and that the surge in visitors provides a boost to the local economy.

“It is a large weekend, it means millions and millions of dollars in economic impact,” Charno said. “While I don’t have a number per se for the weekend off the top of my head, I can say it contributes a lot to supporting our economy from local businesses to even the services.”

Charno said visitors this year are more budget-conscious than in previous years, affecting how and when they book.

“People are traveling but they are a budget conscious traveler this year,” Charno said. “So, they are making considerations for what they’re doing whether it’s taking trips closer to home, booking for shorter stays, and also perhaps considering booking last minute. So, even for people who haven’t booked yet we expect in the next couple of days we’re going to have a lot more bookings into the weekend.”

Several out-of-state visitors arriving in Myrtle Beach said airports were less crowded than they anticipated.

“Surprisingly, I mean we got right through DTW in the Delta section, we got there two hours early and we sat around for about an hour and a half,” traveler Daniel Wilds said.

“We were definitely expecting it to be busier than it is right now,” traveler Jacquelyn Coronado said.

Not all travelers reported lighter-than-expected crowds. One international traveler said airports he passed through told a different story.

“Oh, it’s pretty busy out there. I went to Argentina and Southern Argentina is like our winter so it was nice to get away from this heat for a few days,” traveler Clay Lowder said. “A lot of people are traveling though, airlines are full.”

A traveler from Indiana also described busy conditions.

“It has been very busy in the airports, I think everyone is traveling this time of the year, just going on vacations and what not, so we’re excited,” the traveler said.

Charno said the city has been preparing for the increased volume throughout the year.

“I’m expecting more people to come and we’ve been preparing for that all year,” Charno said.

Experts advise travelers flying this holiday weekend to check the flight status with their airline before heading to the airport and to arrive early.

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