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S.C. tourism promoters are stepping up advertising efforts with a campaign featuring a new slogan and focusing on reaching TV viewers.

With increased competition from a growing number of destinations, South Carolina's $14 billion tourism industry needs a campaign that will catch potential visitors' attention, leaders say. The Grand Strand also recently overhauled the way it goes after vacationers to boost business after years of little or no growth.

This year, the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, the state's main tourism promoter, used two firms to create the campaign, a tag-team approach the state hasn't used in years. It saved money and produced a solid product, PRT Director Chad Prosser said. About $200,000 was saved by negotiating better rates, PRT spokesman Marion Edmonds said.

"The collaboration has gone very well," Prosser said. "I think the industry will be very impressed."

Details will be unveiled Wednesday, the opening day of the Governor's Conference on Tourism and Travel. Leaders are keeping quiet about the plan until then.

The conference, the largest annual gathering of tourism leaders throughout the state, runs through Friday at the Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort at Grande Dunes.

The 2004-05 campaign, costing about $6.7 million, will include a new slogan to complement, not replace, the longstanding "Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places" mantra.

"It will really strike a chord in consumers' minds," Prosser said. "There is a specific message with this campaign that [S.C.] regions will be able to play off of."

The ads also will appear in a different mix of media this year than has been used in the past, with an emphasis on the Internet and TV. PRT hasn't had TV spots since 2000, Edmonds said.

Rawle Murdy Associates of Charleston joined the Leslie Agency of Greenville, which has worked with PRT since 1979, to develop the campaign. Leslie focused on creating the concept while Rawle Murdy handled media buying and assisted Leslie with media-strategy development.

Local tourism leaders are eager to see the details. Some want to see a common theme that each of the state's destinations can latch onto.

"People don't vacation to states; they vacation to specific places," said Shep Guyton, chairman of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Destinations will be able to buy space on the state ads and reach audiences they might not have been able to afford alone.

The conference will hit several topics, including advertising, sports tourism and travel trends.

On Thursday, Gov. Mark Sanford will stop by to speak to participants, hand out awards and meet with a small group of tourism leaders. Luring more international visitors, using "out-of-the-box" strategies and growing the tourism cluster are possible topics of discussion.

One idea is to create lodging packages that tie into big events such as the Heritage golf tournament and the Family Circle, Sanford's spokesman Will Folks said.

"What clustering is about is betting on your strengths," he said. "The next step for the tourism industry is to think about clustering in marketing specific events."

Front-line hospitality employees, who typically don't participate in the conference, will get a front-row seat Friday. PRT added a session to take the message of friendly customer service directly to the workers who deal the most with tourists.

Most of the people who traditionally attend the conference represent large attractions, hotels, convention centers, chambers of commerce, and convention and visitors bureaus.

"It's a good mix of marketing information, research information as well as reinforcement of service, which is perhaps the most important component of the industry," said Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.