CHARLESTON, S.C. (WACH/AP) -- This weekend marks the unofficial start of the spring tourism season in South Carolina.

The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition is under way in Charleston and each year the show brings around 40,000 visitors to the city. The expo features everything from sporting dog competitions to displays of wildlife and exhibits of wildlife art.

In Myrtle Beach, this weekend brings the Myrtle Beach Marathon. That event last year drew about 8,000 runners to its various races. A researcher at Coastal Carolina University says hotel occupancy could rise to nearly 80 percent in the area this weekend.

The director of the state tourism department predicts this is the year the $15 billion industry returns to pre-Great Recession levels.

Duane Parrish says 2012 was a good year for the industry. Revenue per available room is a key measure of tourism performance, and it was up almost 7 percent statewide last year.

Parrish says the state outperformed the rest of the nation and other states in the South Atlantic area in that category. He also says the state is enjoying a bump in international business.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)