The manager of the Carnival Motor Inn in Myrtle Beach has a problem this July 4th weekend, but in his business, it's a good problem to have.
"We're actually turning people away. We're getting phone calls right on up until midnight, people looking for rooms," said Randy Thompkins, who runs the family-owned 50-room hotel on Ocean Boulevard.
The increase in business is overwhelming, Thompkins said, considering that gas prices are nearly 80 cents per gallon higher this year than last.
"We thought, people are really gonna plan and maybe not take that trip and have the backyard barbeque instead, but hey, they're coming to the beach and that's great."
AAA Motor Club predicts nearly half-a-million motorists in South Carolina will travel more than 50 miles away from home this holiday weekend, up 3 percent from last year.
The motor club says Myrtle Beach is the most popular destination for travelers in the Carolinas this year, followed by Charleston, Asheville, Atlanta and Orlando.
Grand Strand tourism officials expect hotel occupancy rates in the 95 to 98 percent range over the holiday weekend, which they say means there will be virtually no room vacancies.
"We're full," said Gary Loftus, director of the BB&T Center for Economic and Community Development at Coastal Carolina University.
Loftus said the supply of rooms on the Grand Strand has grown over the last couple of years, as people who own condos for use as private getaway homes have put them on the rental market instead. "So 98 percent (occupancy) today is a lot more than 98 percent in '07 or '08."
Higher gas prices and a still struggling economy won't keep travelers away this Independence Day weekend, Loftus said.
"It's an attitude rather than a reality and people are beginning to realize this and saying, hey, things aren't as bad as I thought they were, let's go have fun."
Having fun is at the top of the wish list for Larry and Debbie Wiseman, who traveled to Myrtle Beach from Pittsburgh for the holiday weekend along with a group of about 30 friends.
"We golf, some of the good people in our group fish, we swim, we eat," said Debbie Wiseman.
She said they've seen a swarm of people on the beach and at many Grand Strand attractions, but the big crowds hasn't affected their trip.
"The beauty of this place is, they can handle it, they're built to handle it," said Larry Wiseman. "The hotels are spread, the beach is spread."
Loftus said perhaps the only downside to the better tourism numbers for the Grand Strand is that visitors are still spending less per day on meals and attractions than they did prior to the economic downturn.
"They're coming, but they're being a little bit more frugal than they were in the past."
