Horry County Council members are getting a shellacking for subtracting a U.S. Customs center from the terminal they're planning for the west side of the Myrtle Beach International Airport. The region's tourism and golf gurus see foreign vacationers as a lucrative source of increased business.

Foreign vacationers typically visit their chosen venues for longer periods than domestic vacationers and spend more money per day. That's the main reason Myrtle Beach's homegrown airline, Hooters Air, is considering creation of a direct link between the airport and London. If the airport doesn't have a customs facility, this stem of tourism growth could be nipped in the bud.

But you shouldn't deem someone a blunderer until you've walked a mile in his shoes. So we're inclined to view the council's decision charitably. There's no foul in limiting the liability the terminal could pose for Horry County taxpayers.

Council members have a little more than $200 million in "certain" money to spend on the terminal. The projected cost of the facility had burgeoned to more than $250 million, mainly due to the rising cost of building materials. So council members trimmed the project to fit their budget. The council pledged to put the customs facility back into the project if money to pay for it becomes available.

The problem, of course, is that it might not become available soon enough to impel Hooters to expand international service to Myrtle Beach near term. Indeed, the customs-facility decision could inhibit the fledgling airline's growth.

As The Sun News reported Tuesday, county officials are considering one possible solution: using the existing eastside terminal, already equipped with a customs facility, for international flights. That would work in a pinch.

But it would make little sense to open a new terminal that lacks such an integral element as a customs center. Rather than blast council members for shortsightedness, public- and private-sector critics should help the council find the money necessary to ensure that the terminal, on the day it opens, is ready to welcome all air travelers.