With pounding music, three giant video screens, Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleaders, soccer players and Las Vegas-style showgirls strutting across the stage, one of the best years in decades for the local hospitality industry was celebrated Wednesday.
Visit Jacksonville’s “Destination Celebration: Wave of Impact” at the Prime Osborn Convention Center was part recognition of the tourism industry’s impact on the city and part debut for a new promotional video and a revamped partnership program for local businesses.
Visit Jacksonville President and CEO Paul Astleford told the audience of nearly 400 that his organization has revised its corporate sponsorship opportunities. More than a year in development, the new program offers a menu-type approach and multiple levels of investment and participation ranging from $2,000 to $25,000 per year.
The presentation was a soft pitch rather than a hard sell, with Astleford directing those interested in more information to visit the partners section at visitjacksonville.com.
He also offered guests the opportunity to help bring more business to Jacksonville before they left the convention center. Anyone associated with an organization that might consider bringing a group meeting to Jacksonville could provide that information on cards placed on each table. The Visit Jacksonville sales team will follow up on the leads.
Astleford said in 2013, Jacksonville had 5.3 million overnight visitors and 5.2 million day visitors who combined added $2.2 billion to the local economy.
“That’s an 18 percent increase compared to 2009,” he said.
Astleford said the hospitality industry represents more than 22,000 local jobs and the hospitality employment sector is growing 3.5 times faster than the overall employment rate in Duval County.
Clay Yarborough, City Council president and chair of the Duval County Tourist Development Council, said the event was “an incredible opportunity to learn the importance of tourism.”
Tourism in Jacksonville in 2013 generated $180 million in state and local taxes and $147 million in federal taxes. Yarborough said that saved each Duval County resident $550 during the year.
Visit Jacksonville’s Hall of Fame Award was presented to Mike Yokan, one of the promoters of the Welcome to Rockville music festival, staged in April at Metropolitan Park.
The two-day festival generated more than $10 million in economic impact. Yokan also worked closely with city environmental officials before the festival to ensure the noise levels would meet nuisance ordinance requirements and limit inconvenience to nearby residents.
Former council President and TDC Chair Bill Gulliford’s support of the tourism industry was recognized when he received the Margo Dunden Tourism Advocate Award.
Angela Harris, president of Epitome of Excellence Inc., was given the Hometown Ambassador Award. She is credited with helping bring the USA Track & Field Masters Championship and the USA Track & Field National Junior Olympic Championships to Jacksonville in 2015. The events represent an anticipated 20,000 room nights in local hotels and an estimated economic impact of up to $14 million.
The peer-selected Partner of the Year Award, which recognizes one of the 400 business partners that support Visit Jacksonville, was awarded to Fairfield Inn & Suites Jacksonville Butler Boulevard.
To view the new promotional video, visit http://bit.ly/1AS5YT6.
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