SPARTANBURG - The Myrtle Beach International Airport must be expanded for tourism to reach its potential, regardless if a regional airport is built, a state consultant said.

Getting tourists to the Grand Strand - by air and without an interstate - is a major hurdle for the destination as it tries to bring more visitors to fill an oversupply of lodging units, according to Michael MacNulty, a consultant who compiled a Tourism Action Plan for South Carolina.

"Myrtle Beach in particular needs interstate highway access and an improved airport to help accommodate more nonstop flights," according to the plan summary. "The Grand Strand is in 'an emergency situation' because of excess accommodation capacity and improved access would fill rooms."

The 533-page report, released this week during the Governor's Conference on Tourism and Travel in Spartanburg, outlines a need for more air service and marketing money, among other strategies.

Upgrading facilities at the Myrtle Beach airport is one of the priorities, as is examining the need for a regional airport, an idea kicked around by groups such as the North Eastern Strategic Alliance, a regional economic group representing 10 counties including Horry and Georgetown.

If a regional airport is built, it should be in a place that makes it convenient for convention-goers along the Grand Strand, the report says.

Improvements to the Myrtle Beach airport are needed, but the possibility of a regional airport should be considered in deciding the extent of those upgrades, the report said.

The report comes as wrangling continues over whether to build a $229 million terminal at the Myrtle Beach airport.

After initially rejecting the project, the Myrtle Beach Community Appearance Board is again listening to the pitch from Horry County officials, who are trying to save a plan that has been put through the wringer the last few years. Approval from the appearance board is a must for the terminal plan to move forward.

Horry County needs a new terminal, not just an expansion, said Chad Prosser, director of the S.C. Parks, Recreation and Tourism department and former chairman of Horry County Council.

"That air access is critical, particularly with the growth of that market," Prosser said. "You've got a lot of product on the ground."

Gov. Mark Sanford, who spoke to the 450 conference attendees Tuesday, has earmarked $10 million for airport improvements in Myrtle Beach, which he says is critical for coastal tourism - "the epicenter of what happens in tourism in our state."

Sanford also urged the state's tourism leaders to think globally as more places around the world aim to become much-visited destinations.

The terminal plan has split Grand Strand business leaders, some of whom want a new airport building while others prefer to focus on luring airlines.

"The air service is the big thing," said Dave Sebok, director of the Myrtle Beach Downtown Redevelopment Corp.

With the debate swirling, the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association is scheduled to vote today on whether to support the terminal plan. Some are questioning whether building a terminal is the right thing to do, said Pauline Levesque, the association's executive director.

"Now that there have been a few land mines along the way, people are second-guessing," she said.

The delays haven't made hotelier Woody Crosby waver. A new terminal will help the beach lure more tourists and fill the hotel rooms, he said.

"It has been a long time coming and it is a good opportunity for us," Crosby said. "Lord knows when it will be an option again. ... We should do whatever it takes to move forward and get that done."

Governor's Cup | Darlington Raceway

Bundy Award | The Old Towne Preservation Association of North Augusta's Living History Park

Hospitality Employee of the Year | Lynn Thompson, chairwoman of North Augusta's Living History and president of the park's Old Towne Preservation Association

Local $1,000 scholarship recipients | Ellen E. Ryan of Coastal Carolina University and Mohamed Bazzani of Horry-Georgetown Technical College