Have you ever wondered why we focus on growing air service to and from the Myrtle Beach area?
In this episode of Talking Tourism, we chat with Scott Van Moppes and Kirk Lovell from Horry County Airports and Bob Barenberg from Kingston Resorts about air service, how it’s grown and why it’s important to Myrtle Beach.
“Air service is critically important to Myrtle Beach,” said Bob Barenberg with Kingston Resorts.
Kirk Lovell with Myrtle Beach International Airport shared, “For the last couple years, we've seen phenomenal growth at Myrtle Beach International Airport. We've seen the growth in, of course, our peak summer season, but more importantly, in the spring and fall.”
“Thanks to the combined efforts of the Chamber, the county, and the city, really, all pulling for a common goal, we've tapped into new markets that we've never before served,” said Scott Van Moppes with Horry County Airports.
“In 2017, we have 38 non-stop markets served. That's more than any other airport in the state of South Carolina,” said Kirk.
Scott added, “We went from seven gates. We’re now at 13.”
“Better airport, better gates, and more air flights coming in. We're well on our way to achieving that and what we see is that with an improved airport is going to be a more diversified and more people coming into our market,” said Bob.
Kirk added, “Obviously as tourism numbers increase, demand for air service increases, so it's a win-win situation for the airport.”
“We're definitely way ahead of schedule,” said Scott, “If you were to look at the charts put out every year by the FAA, we're in the top three for percentage-wise in the entire nation and that's not just for small airports, big airports. That's just all airports, period.”
‘The opportunity for continued growth is tremendous. I wouldn't put a cap on it. It's a matter of, you know, can the airlines keep pace with our growth and the demand for this destination,” said Kirk.
Scott added, “The chamber is phenomenal and I've lived in several places throughout the country and there is nobody compares to the Myrtle Beach Chamber. And when you get the county behind them working as one, and the city, really the sky is the limit.”
The more we grow tourism, the more our community benefits.
To learn more about air service in Myrtle Beach visit the following resources: