MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. This popular Atlantic Coast shopping, dining, entertainment and golfing mecca held its seventh annual Holiday FantaSea (formerly the Motorcoach Festival) this month and hundreds of bus travelers got an early Christmas treat.

To encourage and foster future travel to the area, more than 1,500 group tour travelers were treated to food, entertainment and gifts at the Alabama Theater during the two-day event. During each day of the FantaSea, one lucky participant received a $500 gift certificate to a local shopping destination.

Bus groups participating in the holiday festival originated from Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

The Holiday FantaSea was sponsored by the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce/Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Coastal Network Cooperative, a local entity that promotes group travel. The event was not open to the general public.

Thousands of motorcoach tours visit the Myrtle Beach area each year, making it one of the top-five motorcoach destinations in the U.S., trailing only Branson, Mo., New York City, Washington, D.C., and Nashville, Tenn.

Area theaters, stores, restaurants and hotels rely on group tours, particularly during the winter months. The holiday season provides an opportunity for visitors to experience the holiday shows at local theaters, as well as shopping, say local travel officials.

"Group tours are vital to Myrtle Beach's visitor base," said Danna Lilly, director of sales at the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"This annual event gives us a wonderful opportunity to promote Myrtle Beach as a premier destination and to increase off-season tourism."

This years Holiday FantaSea came just days after a group of local businesses and restaurants announced that Myrtle Beach, and the string of nearby coastal communities known as the Grand Strand, were getting their own food and wine festival.

Coastal Uncorked Food and Wine Festival will run May 16-23 and will feature a restaurant week, wine tasting tour, "Iron Chef"-style cooking competition, and cooking demonstrations and tastings in and around Myrtle Beach.

"Our city is based on tourism, so we want to promote tourism, and we want to give back," said Heidi Vukov, owner of Croissants Bistro and Bakery, a sponsor of Coastal Uncorked. "This will help retail, this will help everybody. This is something everyone in our city can participate in."

Representatives from several restaurants and other businesses got together a few months ago and decided the needed a wine and food festival, Vukov said.

"The sky's the limit," she said. "We're hoping this is something that grows and grows and could be comparable to what you might find in larger cities."

A trolley will transport attendees to selected locations from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day of the festival for wine tastings, beer tastings, cooking demonstrations, live music and wine dinners.

There will be live entertainment at The Market Common May 21-22 and grilling demonstrations.

The main event for the festival is expected to be the Coastal Uncorked Food Fight Chef Competition and Gala on May 23, where local chefs will compete in a cooking competition.

For additional information, call (843) 916-2000.