The south end of the Grand Strand is getting a lift in tourism, and the area's communities are cashing in.
Georgetown County occupancy rates are still below Horry County's, but while fewer people rented homes and rooms in Horry this summer, Georgetown numbers are up.
"It's more laid back. You get to have the ocean. It's just pure fun," says Rebecca Bullock. She's vacationed in Georgetown County since she was two-years-old.
While she makes it a point to come from Michigan every year, word is spreading of her calm vacation spot back home.
"From up north when you say you're going to Pawleys or you're going to Litchfield, it's so relaxing. Just those two words mean a serene place for us."
Occupancy numbers from Coastal Carolina University show Georgetown County occupancy rates are up from 75 percent to 77 percent this summer. Horry County fell from 85 percent to 83 percent this summer.
With a slow economy, Annette Medlin, Georgetown County Chamber President, attributes that increase to their new Hammock Coast marketing campaign.
"We rolled out a new brand about a year ago and we've had a full year of that brand," says Medlin. "We've seen some really good results for the hammock coast."
"People aren't traveling as far they can doing more 'staycation' type things," says Stoney Miller, Litchfield Real Estate's broker-in-charge.
He says this area offers a completely different feel from that of Myrtle Beach. "We're controlling our environment down here with conservation and the practices that we do. Low density is a big plus for people looking for what we have. It's a great lifestyle. People came here from the gulf and never been here and loved it, and returned even though it's further."
What Georgetown County has to offer keeps Bullock and her family coming back. "You can do shrimping and we've learned how to flounder gig up here," says Bullock. "It's just things you can't do up north or basically anywhere else."
