It's been ten years since the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds have flown the skies of the Grand Strand for an air show. There are now plans in the works to bring them back this summer.
Council approved $80,000 to spend on advertising to bring more people to the Grand Strand for an air show that will be in Myrtle Beach on June 29.
The $80,000 comes from a percentage of what Horry County receives from accommodation taxes. Those taxes come from money spent on things along the Grand Strand like hotel rooms.
Every year council gives 5% of that tax to the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce to use only for advertising purposes. They can only use that fund as council directs them.
Councilman Brent Shulz is heading this project and believes it's just another way to bring more people to our area.
"We had a lot of hotel rooms filled but we also had a lot of empty ones. What's happened in sports tourism, similar to this air show, is you're bringing so many more people," said Shulz. "With the air show you're going to have so many more support people, so it's going to have a very high significant economic impact to the area."
The chamber currently has around $240,000 from that accommodation tax return.
It's currently not clear who is sponsoring the event. According to the Thunderbirds' website they will be in Myrtle Beach on June 29.
Shulz said this part of the 75th anniversary of the city of Myrtle Beach.
The Myrtle Beach special events technical committee is talking about the air show in their meeting Wednesday morning.
