Everyone knows that Myrtle Beach thrives on tourism, but local businesses in the Grand Strand area are concerned that the 2025 tourism season could be a big letdown.

Business owners believe that the economy is causing people to travel and spend less. Many tourists who are visiting the area are having to pinch pennies to stay within their travel budgets. That's led to a decrease in revenue generated in the Grand Strand.

"Right now, it’s kind of up and down. We do have a good bit of rooms open," Terisa Willy, an office staff member at the Midtown Inn & Cottages, told WMBF. "I feel like people are being more cautious, more cautious this year."

Myrtle Beach 2025 Tourism Season off To Slow Start

Other business owners claim that immigration crackdowns are affecting their bottom line, especially when it comes to hotels. Many hotels are allegedly dealing with cleaning staff shortages due to the immigration crackdowns.

"The small businesses, like the staffing companies and cleaning companies, they have suffered significant loss," an anonymous owner of  A&B Immigration Services told WBTW.

"Owners are even closing up their businesses and are looking for employment themselves, because they depend on the international workers during the peak seasons," they continued. "We noticed this year that a lot of the individuals, whether they’re J-1 and H-2b workers that are applying for the work visas overseas, that at the US embassies, there’s an uptick in denials."