The lagging economy, high gas prices and looming war with Iraq could help the Myrtle Beach area benefit from thousands of spring breaking college students looking for a cheap place to party.

"The outlook for this year is good," said Paul Siaweleski, general manager of Dick's Last Resort restaurant in North Myrtle Beach. "We are just becoming bigger and better at it."

But not everyone wants to put up with the economic hangover the students can leave behind. Some business owners say trashed hotel rooms and trashed kids come with too many risks - including injuries and exorbitant repair bills.

Although they can take a few mildly rowdy weeks, they don't want Myrtle Beach to join the likes of party spots such as 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."

For years, business owners have debated whether the Grand Strand should market itself as a spring break destination, much like Florida hotspots Daytona Beach and Panama City Beach.

Myrtle Beach doesn't target that market, but the spring breakers come in carloads anyway. That leaves some wondering how much more would come if some 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?"

No group, including the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, keeps track of how many spring breakers party along the Grand Strand each year.

But this area has become popular enough to earn mention during The Travel Channel's spring break special.

"It's good for the college kids' budget," said Bryan Fabini of Fort Wayne, Ind. "I think this place is more affordable, hotels are a lot cheaper."

Lines have been long at the Freaky Tiki, which has offered free Spring Break 2003 T-shirts and reduced admission with a college ID.

"It's one of our busiest times," co-owner Joey Amendola said.

Students who come here either know of Myrtle Beach because they live in the Carolinas or Virginia, or they have friends who've been here that bragged about its affordability and party atmosphere.

"I had a friend who said it was pretty cool," said Amanda Mellick, a student at the University of Northern Iowa. "We're just going to party and check out the ocean."

The timing of spring break works to the Grand Strand's advantage, with the students' hiatus sandwiched between the end of the snowbird season and the big summer kickoff. Many hotels open just as the students arrive, playing host to them and spring golfers.

At Dick's Last Resort, a restaurant and bar at Barefoot Landing, traffic jumps by "leaps and bounds" during spring break. It's common for customers to wait two hours for a table, Siaweleski said.

"Really, this time of year, that's all that's in here. It's full of kids every night," he said.

Unlike other spring break destinations, which get a one- or two-week surge of college students, Grand Strand spring breakers start trickling in during 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 doesn't target college students with special advertisements, saying it sticks to general promotions that fit the family image.

And despite the beach's affordability and drive-to convenience, its weather isn't always the best for spring break, with temperatures a little chilly and the ocean not yet swim-ready.

Hotel owners disagree over whether spring break business is worth the occasional hassle. Some hotels rent rooms to students - requiring cash security deposits - while others have policies allowing only families and couples.

"We don't actually seek spring breakers - not that we don't want them," said David Medlin, general manager of Compass Cove.

If the Grand Strand doesn't want to become a spring break mecca, it had better watch out.

Lake Havasu City, Ariz., didn't want that reputation, either, but has found its town ranked No. 3 on The Travel Channel's list of hot spring break hangouts.

Like the Grand Strand, none of Lake Havasu's marketing dollars are used to directly target college students. Still, the town attracts 40,000 spring breakers each year.

Blame MTV, which has the power through televising spring break parties to make next year's big destination. The channel broadcast from Lake Havasu about eight years ago.

"We were instantly a Top 10 spring break destination," said Jennifer Shanks, promotions manager with the city's tourism bureau.

"The spring breakers are going to come regardless of whether we market to them."

Lake Havasu also struggles with how it can handle the students yet maintain an atmosphere families enjoy. Some properties, Shanks said, would rather not see the students at all.

"It is a matter that is discussed every year," she said. "We work very hard at balancing the family-oriented atmosphere. But we also want to grow."

Although spring breakers can give a destination's economy an immediate shot in the arm, they can also be important over the long term.

Experts say 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 such as concerts and volleyball tournaments.

For an area to successfully cultivate a spring break reputation there must be agreement between the community and its business owners, 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."

Chesty Chastain | Myrtle Beach Tours