Tripadvisor Ranks Myrtle Beach No. 1 U.S. Destination for Summer 2026
By Thomas Beach Vacations | April 23, 2026 | North Myrtle Beach, SC
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Myrtle Beach has been ranked the top domestic travel destination for summer 2026, according to the annual Summer Travel Index published Tuesday by Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform. The ranking places the Grand Strand ahead of New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas, and every other U.S. destination on a list drawn from millions of travel searches made this spring.
The index is based on first-party search data collected from February 1 through April 10, 2026, measuring where U.S. travelers are actively planning to go between June 1 and August 31. Myrtle Beach led the domestic list outright, continuing a pattern of dominance that Visit Myrtle Beach president Stuart Butler attributed to the destination’s standing as an accessible, drive-to market offering strong value in a travel environment still shaped by inflation and rising fuel costs.
About the Ranking
Tripadvisor’s Summer Travel Index is compiled annually from the platform’s internal traffic data, representing search behavior from tens of millions of monthly users across the United States. The 2026 edition identified ten top domestic destinations, ten top international destinations, and a separate set of fastest-growing markets based on year-over-year search growth.
Myrtle Beach topped the domestic list. The full ranking for U.S. destinations is as follows:
| Rank | Destination |
|---|---|
| 1 | Myrtle Beach, SC |
| 2 | New York City, NY |
| 3 | Chicago, IL |
| 4 | Las Vegas, NV |
| 5 | Ocean City, MD |
| 6 | Key West, FL |
| 7 | Panama City Beach, FL |
| 8 | Seattle, WA |
| 9 | Clearwater, FL |
| 10 | Nashville, TN |
Seven of the ten destinations are coastal. Four — Myrtle Beach, Ocean City, Key West, and Panama City Beach — are East Coast or Gulf beach markets, reflecting what Tripadvisor described as a clear preference among domestic travelers for warm water and low-effort itineraries this summer.
No. 1 for Fourth of July Weekend
Beyond the full-summer ranking, Tripadvisor’s index broke down search intent by specific holiday weekends. Myrtle Beach ranked as the single most-searched U.S. destination for Fourth of July weekend travel — outpacing Clearwater, Virginia Beach, and every major American city in holiday-specific search volume.
For Memorial Day weekend, the index showed travelers gravitating toward Anaheim, California, and Orange Beach, Alabama — suggesting that the longer, more relaxed Fourth of July window is when the Grand Strand sees its sharpest concentration of national attention.
Local Tourism Officials Cite Value and Access
Visit Myrtle Beach, the destination’s official tourism organization, responded to the ranking by pointing to occupancy data that has been tracking ahead of expectations through early spring 2026. Stuart Butler, the organization’s president, noted that Myrtle Beach’s position as a drivable, value-driven destination gives it a structural advantage at a time when many American families are recalibrating vacation budgets in response to broader economic pressures.
The Grand Strand draws heavily from the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, and the mid-Atlantic corridor — a catchment area of tens of millions of potential visitors who can reach the coast by car without booking a flight. That drivability, combined with a wide spectrum of lodging price points and a beach product that requires little explanation to first-time visitors, continues to position Myrtle Beach favorably against destinations that demand more logistical investment.
North Myrtle Beach Shares the Momentum
North Myrtle Beach, a separate city incorporated in 1968 and located approximately 15 miles north of downtown Myrtle Beach, operates independently but shares the same coastline driving the national ranking. The city’s four beach communities — Cherry Grove Beach, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill — attract visitors seeking vacation rental properties and a lower-density beach experience within the same Grand Strand corridor.
Rental inventory across North Myrtle Beach, including oceanfront vacation homes and oceanfront condos, has been booking at a pace consistent with early-season indicators showing summer 2026 demand exceeding prior years. Property management companies in the area report that the combination of national visibility and strong repeat visitor rates is sustaining calendar momentum heading into peak season.
For travelers planning a summer 2026 trip to the Grand Strand, Thomas Beach Vacations offers vacation rental properties throughout North Myrtle Beach. Availability and property listings can be found at northmyrtlebeachvacations.com or by calling (866) 249-2100.