CVB TRADE

What CVB TRADE does

The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, operating under the destination brand "Visit Myrtle Beach," is the designated destination marketing organization for the Grand Strand region of South Carolina, founded in 1938 and headquartered at 1200 North Oak Street, Myrtle Beach. The organization's functional mission is to promote the 60-mile Grand Strand coastline and its 14 distinct coastal communities to leisure travelers, group sales segments (sports tournaments, meetings, conventions, tour and travel groups), and local tourism businesses, while supporting a regional economy that employs over 80,000 residents and generated $10.8 billion in visitor expenditures in 2018. Visit Myrtle Beach operates a platform-plus-modules partner program called the Amplified Marketing Program (AMP), which bundles access to premium content production, featured digital listings, group lead distribution, the Flip.to traveler marketing platform, co-op media buying, and brochure distribution for lodging and non-lodging tourism businesses.

The CVB's revenue model is funded primarily through Tourism Development Fee collections ($27.6 million as of October 2019, up 10.4% year-over-year) and accommodation taxes, supplemented by AMP partner membership fees, advertising sales in the Official Myrtle Beach Area Visitors Guide (full-page $13,200, half-page $7,700, quarter-page $4,400), brochure distribution ($1,150 per slot), and co-op marketing investments. Its go-to-market motion combines event-driven demand generation anchored by the PGA Tour's ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, the ESPN Events Myrtle Beach Bowl college football game, the CCMF music festival, the World's Strongest Man competition, and the Syracuse University Esports "Boost on the Beach" event, with community-led marketing through the AMP partner network and API/group-lead distribution to lodging partners. The organization's marketing channels span the VisitMyrtleBeach.com website (11M+ annual visitors), an eNewsletter with 35,000+ subscribers, organic social across Facebook/Instagram/TikTok/YouTube/X, paid media partnerships with TripAdvisor, Meta, TravelDesk, and Sojern, and earned media placements in national outlets including Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast, HGTV, ESPN, and The Today Show. Underlying technology is conventional — digital platforms, content management systems, and third-party integrations (Flip.to, Miles Partnership-built website) rather than proprietary technology products.

In April 2026, the organization consolidated its enterprise identity under the Greater Myrtle Beach Collaborative, bringing together the Chamber, CVB, Partnership Grand Strand, Collaborate2031, Leadership Grand Strand, and Grand Strand Young Professionals into a unified platform. The CVB is governed by a Board of Directors with volunteer community oversight, holds five-star accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and is led by President and CEO Karen Riordan. Notable recognition includes Web Marketing Association's 2025 Best Travel Website award, ConventionSouth's Readers' Choice Award, Southeast Tourism Society's 2021 Tourism Office of the Year, and Tripadvisor's #1 most-searched U.S. summer destination designation.

Name

CVB TRADE

Legal name

Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau

Website

https://myrtlebeachareacvb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB, operating as Visit Myrtle Beach, is a nonprofit destination marketing organization founded in 1938 that promotes the 60-mile Grand Strand region to leisure travelers, group sales segments, and local tourism businesses through events, media partnerships, and the Amplified Marketing Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Myrtle Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tourism Development Fee (TDF): Primary funding source collected from tourism-related businesses, with $27.6 million TDF collections reported as of October 2019, representing a 10.4% increase year-over-year.
2. AMP Partner Program Memberships: Lodging and non-lodging businesses pay membership fees to join the Amplified Marketing Program, gaining access to sales and marketing support, featured listings, group leads, and co-marketing opportunities.
3. Visitor Guide Advertising: Full-page ads ($13,200), half-page ads ($7,700), and quarter-page ads ($4,400) sold in the Official Myrtle Beach Area Visitors Guide reaching 500,000+ potential customers.
4. Co-Op Marketing: Partners access pre-negotiated media rates with travel companies including TripAdvisor, Meta, TravelDesk, and Sojern through combined investment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Myrtle Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (operating as Visit Myrtle Beach) is a destination marketing organization that sells the Amplified Marketing Program (AMP), a membership-based partnership program connecting local lodging and non-lodging tourism businesses with marketing channels, group sales leads, co-op media buys, and featured digital listings. It also publishes the Official Myrtle Beach Area Visitors Guide, which sells advertising to tourism partners and reaches 500,000+ potential visitors annually.

Product overview

CVB TRADE (Myrtle Beach Area Convention & Visitor Bureau) operates as a destination marketing organization with a modular partner program architecture. The core offering is the Amplified Marketing Program (AMP), which provides Chamber/CVB partners with access to award-winning sales and marketing teams, digital platform services, and media partnerships. The program is structured as a platform-plus-modules system where partners can purchase base membership and then add individual components including Premium Content services (TV features, editorial mentions, social media), Featured Listings for digital placement, Group Leads access for lodging partners, Flip.to traveler marketing platform access, Co-Op Marketing opportunities, and Brochure Distribution. The 2027 Official Myrtle Beach Area Visitors Guide serves as a complementary printed asset distributed to approximately 40,000 rooms and 500,000 readers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Amplified Marketing Program (AMP) Annual membership partnership program that connects lodging and non-lodging tourism businesses with Visit Myrtle Beach's marketing channels, sales teams, group leads, featured listings, premium content opportunities, and pre-negotiated co-op media buys (TripAdvisor, Meta, TravelDesk, Sojern) to reach tens of millions of prospective leisure and group visitors annually.
• Official Myrtle Beach Area Visitors Guide Annual printed visitor guide distributed to 40,000+ lodging partner rooms and 500,000+ potential customers featuring tiered paid advertising placements (full-page $13,200, half-page $7,700, quarter-page $4,400) and editorial coupon features for tourism partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20.4 million visitors generating $10.8 billion in expenditures (2018)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CrocsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 July 2026Visit Myrtle Beach partnered with Crocs on 'Crocs to Coast' sweepstakes promotion designed to bring the beachy spirit of Myrtle Beach into the Crocs brand experience.
• iHeartMediaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 July 2026Visit Myrtle Beach partnered with iHeartMedia on 'Make Your Myrtle Moment' sweepstakes, giving listeners a chance to win the ultimate Myrtle Beach getaway.
• HasbrominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2026Visit Myrtle Beach partnered with Hasbro to bring the spirit of the beach directly into everyday shopping experiences through a dual-brand promotion featuring Play-Doh and Hasbro Games.
• Military Makeover with MontelminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 March 2026Partnership with Military Makeover with Montel to surprise U.S. Army veteran Matthew Dawson and his family with a Myrtle Beach getaway during the show's home renovation episode. The segment aired on Lifetime Television reaching 53 million households.
• Greater Myrtle Beach CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026New enterprise identity established to enhance efforts of Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, Visit Myrtle Beach, Partnership Grand Strand, Collaborate2031, Leadership Grand Strand, Grand Strand Young Professionals and additional initiatives under a single platform.
• EnginecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 November 2025Engine was named presenting sponsor of the ESPN Events Myrtle Beach Bowl. The college football bowl game is now titled 'Myrtle Beach Bowl presented by Engine' and played at Brooks Stadium.
• ONEflight InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-title sponsor of the PGA Tour's ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic golf tournament held at Dunes Golf and Beach Club. The partnership has been renewed for multiple years with the 2027 event confirmed for May 13-16.
• Syracuse University EsportsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinued partnership bringing the multi-award-winning 'Boost on the Beach' esports event back to Myrtle Beach for the fourth consecutive year, hosted at The Hangout.
• Miles PartnershipcoreTechnology or IntegrationVisitMyrtleBeach.com website was created in collaboration with Miles Partnership and won the 2025 Best Travel Website award from Web Marketing Association.
• People Inc.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEditorial partnerships with People Inc. generated coverage for partners in publications including Southern Living, Garden & Gun, and Reader's Digest.
• Flip.tocoreTechnology or IntegrationExclusive discounted access to Flip.to traveler marketing platform for lodging partners, helping properties reach new audiences, inspire direct bookings, and engage with travelers through advocacy, discovery, and spacetime analytics.
• South Carolina Parks, Recreation & TourismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState tourism agency partnership supporting destination marketing and tourism recovery initiatives, including SCPRT Tourism Recovery Grant.
• TripAdvisor, Meta, TravelDesk, SojernminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartners access pre-negotiated media rates with top travel companies through the AMP co-op marketing program.
• Waccamaw Community FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund, which raised over $1.8 million total for nonprofits providing medical care, food access, and financial support to those impacted in coastal South Carolina.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Visit Orlando: Convention and visitors bureau promoting the Orlando destination with a comparable partner/membership program structure, group sales, advertising offerings and tourism economic-impact reporting model.
• Visit Denver: City-level convention and visitors bureau with comparable partner advertising, content marketing, group sales and tourism economic impact measurement infrastructure.
• Visit Philadelphia: Regional CVB operating a partner/membership program with content marketing, group sales and visitor guide advertising aimed at driving lodging and attraction partner ROI.
• Choose Chicago: City-level CVB operating a comparable partner program, group/convention sales pipeline, content marketing and visitor guide advertising offering for Chicago tourism partners.
• San Diego Tourism Authority: Regional tourism authority with a partner program, advertising-supported visitor guide and group/convention sales functions that mirror the CVB/AMP operating model.
• Visit Florida: State-level destination marketing organization with a paid media, co-op marketing and partner program serving Florida lodging and attractions, operating a similar ROI-driven marketing model.
• NYC & Company: Official destination marketing organization for New York City, structured similarly around a partner/membership program, group sales, paid media and content marketing for hospitality and attraction partners.
• Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA): Large destination marketing organization running a destination-wide marketing, group sales and advertising program funded by room-tax/TDF-style revenue streams, directly analogous in mission and operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Tourism Australia: National tourism marketing organization running global paid media, partner co-op and content marketing programs; comparable in operating discipline but operates outside the same North American competitive geography.
• Brand USA: National destination marketing organization that operates at a country-wide level rather than competing locally, but pursues the same marketing, partner co-op and media-buying functions as a regional CVB.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MyMyrtleBeach
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/VisitMyrtleBeach
• Facebookfacebook.com/VisitMyrtleBeachSC
• Instagraminstagram.com/mymyrtlebeach
• Pinterestpinterest.com/mymyrtlebeach
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/myrtle-beach-area-cvb

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CVB TRADE