As to tourism…

It's starting to sound like a broken record: housing starts up, tourism solid, retail sales jumping by double digits. It's an economic tune locals love to hear.

All the key indicators for tourism - lodging occupancy and tax revenues for accommodations - are expected to increase over last spring.

Occupancy for March, April and May should reach 67.5 percent, a slight uptick from the 66.6 percent occupancy in spring 2005, predicts Al Parish, director of the Center for Economic Forecasting in Charleston. That means nearly 70 percent of the area's rooms will be filled, on average, for the three months.

The season is gearing up with golf and spring breakers. Easter is later this year - April 16 - which traditionally means the beach will be busier than when the holiday falls earlier. . The spring predictions also include May, when two biker rallies dominate tourism and lure as many as 500,000 bikers combined.

Gas prices, which have stabilized since the post-Hurricane Katrina runups last fall, should be a none-issue for travelers, experts say, even though more than 90 percent of the Grand Strand's visitors get here by car.

As to real estate sales…

Don't expect to see real estate letting up any this spring, despite national speculation about a housing bubble.

Horry County continues to lead the state in permits for single-family homes, said Ralph Bussey, project manager of homebuilder Coastal Construction Group and president of the Horry-Georgetown Homebuilders Association.

Phil Cox, Broker-in-Charge at Myrtle Beach Resort Vacation Services, indicates that the demand for vacation condos remains steady. “After a sluggish winter season, spring has arrived and with it vacationers who would like to be owners. We’re excited about the spring and summer ‘selling seasons’. Prices have stabilized and may have finally reached their true value.”

For a sampling of condo prices at The Myrtle Beach Resort, Click Here