by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Visit Jacksonville is the official travel information resource for Jacksonville and when its President and CEO, John Reyes, isn’t traveling to tell people about the benefits of visiting, relocating or having a conference in Jacksonville he is at the office at 550 Water St.
Reyes directs Jacksonville’s branding and marketing from his corner office on the 10th floor of the 550 building.
When companies consider relocating to Jacksonville, Visit Jacksonville provides information on amenities, quality of life and activities available to residents. When businesses want to hold a conference in Jacksonville, Visit Jacksonville can find the appropriate facility and when people are planning their vacations, the organization can inform them of the different activities happening during their stay and what attractions to see.
“We are part of the presentation when people try to attract businesses to Jacksonville,” said Reyes. “More and more businesses are coming here for the quality of life. People are realizing that it doesn’t cost as much to live here compared to other cities of equal size.”
Reyes has been spreading this message since his first day on the job about four years ago. He resigned as vice president of sales for the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau after 18 years with the organization to lead Visit Jacksonville.
His first day on the job was Feb. 3, 2005. Three days later the Super Bowl was held in his new backyard.
“The day I walked in the door we had 30 customers come in who we were taking to a Super Bowl function,” said Reyes. “It was an exciting time to see the City come together and see our potential realized.”
It was an opportunity for Reyes to become familiar with his surroundings.
“What we learned during the Super Bowl was that there is a strong sense of hospitality here,” said Reyes. “People still wave and they still say, ‘Hello.’ We haven’t gotten into that large city mindset of just living in your own space.”
Reyes has settled into his new job and new home and he also came prepared with a familiar mascot. He is a graduate of San Francisco State University and the school’s mascot is a “Gator.”
This would explain why he has a mini-helmet signed by University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in his office.
“I got that when Florida was playing for the national championship against Ohio State,” said Reyes. “The Florida-Georgia game is one of the reasons we are known as a sports destination on amateur, college and professional levels.”
His office contributed to a professional sporting event last weekend when it provided NBC with video footage to use during its Sunday night telecast of the Jaguars game.
The company he works for may be called Visit Jacksonville, but they also promote attractions outside of the city limits.
“We may focus on Jacksonville, but we also focus on the region which includes St. Augustine and Amelia Island,” said Reyes. “Northeast Florida is visited by 4.9 million people annually and tourism is a $5 billion industry. Duval County gets about 60 percent of that because having natural attractions, like the beaches, and a metropolitan environment offers the best of both worlds.”
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