Date of Award

Spring 2002

Document Type

Legacy Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Department

Marketing and Hospitality, Resort and Tourism Management

College

College of Business

First Advisor

Darla Domke-Damonte

Abstract/Description

As the 2000 Golf Destination of the Year (according to the International Association of Golf Tour Operators), Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (USA) is home to 117 golf courses, which include some of the most unique and challenging in the world. While 18 golf courses have opened in the past 28 months and two more are currently opening, a number of golf companies have declared bankruptcy and as many as 25% of area golf courses are for sale due to over saturation of the market. In this environment, attracting and retaining golf vacationers has become more important than ever before. With the U.S. golf industry attracting 1.5-3 million new golfers annually and only 1 million of those golfers from the U.S., it is clearly important for golf courses and tour operators in the Myrtle Beach area to understand the needs of international golfers and how well existing services answer those needs. Because Canadian tourists are the strongest international market for Myrtle Beach, the present research applies importance-performance analysis to the challenge of attracting and retaining Canadian golfers to the Myrtle Beach market.

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