MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The economy here could benefit from thousands of college students on spring break, but some are concerned about the risks involved.

Some business owners say they can stand a few rowdy weeks, but they don't want Myrtle Beach to become a party spot like Daytona Beach or Panama City Beach, Fla.

"I don't think they ever need to go for that," said Chesty Chastain of Myrtle Beach Tours, which rents houses in North Myrtle Beach and benefits from spring break business. "Nobody who lives here wants pandemonium."

Business owners have long debated whether the Grand Strand should market itself as a spring break destination.

Although Myrtle Beach doesn't target students, they still arrive in droves. That leaves some wondering how many more students would come if advertising dollars were spent to lure them.

"They are foolish not to go after it," said Allen Dickenson, co-owner of the Freaky Tiki nightclub, which is the official MTV Spring Break Sponsor for Myrtle Beach. "What are the hotels doing this time of year anyway?"

Officials, including the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, do not track the number of students who spend spring break in the Grand Strand each year. But it's becoming an increasingly popular spring break spot with its affordable restaurants and hotels.

The timing of spring break works to the Grand Strand's advantage, with the vacation sandwiched between the end of the snowbird season and the big summer kickoff.

While other spring break destinations see a surge of college students over one or two weeks, at the Grand Strand students begin arriving in early March and continue through mid-April.

"We have a continuous flow," said Ashby Ward, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber targets families, not college students, in advertisements. But experts say visiting students can be important to the economy over the long term. Students often return to the same place year after year, eventually bringing their children along when they get older.

"You are always cultivating more customers," said Steve Morse, an economist at the University of South Carolina's School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management. "Daytona and Panama City Beach have realized that."

Those Florida cities have embraced spring break by targeting college campuses with advertising and organizing events ranging from concerts to volleyball tournaments.

To successfully cultivate a spring break reputation, communities and business owners must reach some agreement, said John Crotts of the Hospitality and Tourism Management program at the College of Charleston.

"The community itself needs to weigh the costs and benefits of it," he said. "You have to come together with a consensus."

Information from: The Sun News