Tourist Talk – Fall 2017
A Collection of information from the FC TDC
Numbers :
- Collections: Tourist Development Tax collections so far for fiscal 2016-17 have lagged slightly from the previous fiscal year. Attached you will find the most recent tally of collections through June 2017. These numbers reflect the dollar collections from the tourist tax and do not necessarily reflect actual number of tourists visiting the area. A number of things can reflect changes in tourist revenue numbers including: recording differences for specific groups of lodging providers, an increase in lodging rentals being handled through on-line rental groups, such as VRBO, a decline in international tourists, and weather events such as hurricanes. 2016-17 is turning out to be very similar to 2015-16 in terms of revenue as seen in the attached chart showing tourist revenues over the years.
- Visitor Centers: 26,950 visitors stopped at one of our four visitor centers throughout the county during 2016-17.
Lodging Provider Meetings:
The TDC staff, Vendors and Board members have been holding a series of meetings with local lodging providers over the last couple of months. The purpose of the meetings is to discuss TDC activities on behalf of lodging companies and ways providers can leverage the work of the TDC for their facilities. The third and final meeting will be held on October 25, 2017 beginning at 1:30 P.M. at the Eastpoint Visitor Center. For more information call the TDC at 850-670-3474
Weather Response:
2017 has been a particularly busy hurricane season which has in one way or another affected Franklin County. The TDC’s protocol for dealing with weather events includes monitoring vacancies at local lodging companies, standby overflow capability for RV visitors and post weather event promotional activities designed to respond to individual weather events.
Fall Promotions:
The TDC has developed its fall promotion campaign for 2017 which includes a variety of get-a-way promotion drawings that appeal to specific brand elements including: fishing, pet friendly facilities and events, girl weekends, art activities and history and cultural events. Drawing winners are treated to a three day two night visit to Franklin County. The TDC out of area promotions will include a focus on Florida travelers that may or may not have been impacted by the recent hurricanes. In addition, our internet placement will be refined based on the result of recent internet surveying conducted by our internet contractor 2-K web group.
We are increasing our presence in regional promotion markets including Tallahassee and Panama City.
Event Promotions:
In addition to the TDC national advertising campaigns, the TDC sponsors some 150 events conducted by 30 non-profit organizations. These events provide a basis for visitor activities throughout the year. In addition, the TDC website features activities and events throughout the county each week. This event list is available in the form of imbedded content for Lodging companies on their web site as a way of enhancing the visitor trips to Franklin County. Make sure that your organization’s event is accurately represented by sending your event information to info@saltyflorida.com
TDC Visitor Guide:
The TDC visitor guide is produced periodically in both digital and print formats. A digital version is included as part of the TDC web site. The print version is distributed to visitor centers, lodging companies, airports, Florida welcome centers and upon request from individuals. This 50 page glossy publication provides a wealth of information on our area’s history and attractions. The TDC is in the process of updating and reprinting this guide and expects it to be ready for distribution by summer 2018. New in this edition will be an advertisement section for local businesses. Some 60-70,000 copies of the Guide are distributed to prime markets for Franklin County visitors. For more information about how your business can benefit from advertising in this year’s guide contact Taylor at: taylor@saltyflorida.com
The next TDC Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday November 8, 2017 at 2:00 P.M. at the EPVC.
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