Tourism and Jacksonville are typically linked together in a historical context when calling to mind the early days of the industry in the 19th century when steamboats plied the waters of the St. Johns River carrying tourists to Palatka and then on to the springs of interior Florida.
At a news conference Tuesday to announce the results of a six-month study of the impact of tourism in Jacksonville, the numbers surprised most people, admitted Paul Astleford, president and CEO of Visit Jacksonville.
Most people don’t think of Jacksonville as a destination. Yet, Tourism Economics, which conducted the study, said visitors spent $1.5 billion here in 2013, the tourism industry has grown 4 percent each year for the past five years and all sales related to people coming to Jacksonville from at least 50 miles away topped $2 billion last year.
Tourism is not only a factor in the Jacksonville economy, it’s also been key in its recovery from the recession. And it’s something that Jacksonville gained without a whole lot of self-promotion. Compared to South Beach, Key West or even Pinellas County beaches, Jacksonville isn’t on the radar.
Astleford spoke from a podium set up in front of the new “Land of the Tiger” exhibit at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. He said the city’s natural attractions, like its 22 miles of beaches, the St. Johns River and the Timuquana Preserve, are big draws for visitors seeking eco-vacations.
It’s also a good argument for supporting enterprises that appeal to visitors like sporting events, museums, music, festivals like One Spark and the push for a new convention center.
“Most people who live in Jacksonville don’t think of the city as a destination, but these numbers really refute that — $2.2 billion — that shows the strength of tourism in our economy and it also shows us what Jacksonville can be.”
The study was released weeks after City Council approved $60,000 for an updated study on a new convention center. Visit Jacksonville also launched a new campaign targeting convention business, “Bring It Home! Jax.” It essentially asks Jacksonville residents and business people to refer the companies they do
business with as well as trade associations, conferences or planners of annual meetings to Jacksonville.
While the numbers released Tuesday quantified the dollars spent in 2013, the second part of the study will look more in depth at the people who visited Jacksonville last year, who they are, why they came here and what they did while here.
That second part of the study should be complete in about three months. Visit Jacksonville is paying the $50,000 for the entire study.
All of that information will make marketing the city easier. Jacksonville received $16 million in bed taxes last year from a 6 percent tax on hotel rooms. One third of that money goes to marketing and promotion. It’s not a lot of money compared to Pinellas County, which earned the designation as one of six “high-impact tourist destinations” in Florida after bringing in more than $30 million in tourist taxes in 2013. But the study should prompt discussions about what in Jacksonville is important to visitors and help the city to spend those dollars well.
Astleford said the newly released study should prompt discussions about how Jacksonville should market itself. “We need to sit down and decide what we want to be, how we want to present ourselves,” he said.
Astleford said that one thing Jacksonville doesn’t need is a new aspirational slogan like, The Bold New City of the South,” Instead, he thinks that Jacksonville leaders need to sit down and talk about the area’s assets and what draws there are for visitors.