February TDC News
Dear Friends of the Franklin County TDC,
"Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room", Jeff Bezos, CEO, Amazon.
We can collectively agree visitors to Franklin County talk about our unique coastline. With this mind, the FCTDC board has voted to focus on our top asset by transitioning our brand from “Salty Florida” to “Florida's Forgotten Coast”. To some, it's a rediscovery of our area; but to many more it is still undiscovered. We are proud to be located at the heart of Florida’s Forgotten Coast and welcome the opportunity to utilize the brand in our promotional activities. The FCTDC's new website floridasforgottencoast.com will be implemented over the next few months as the transition is completed.
The FCTDC has dedicated a $250,000 grant match to the development of Camp Gordon Johnston's new facility which is well underway. This World War II Museum will be the only one of its kind in Florida and will keep alive the history and memory of the heroes who fought for our country. Watch its progress as you pass by on Hwy 98 just west of Carrabelle Beach.
The FCTDC selected a winner for the second of six promotional contests. Steve Pokorny from Missouri won the Coastal Culinary Getaway contest featuring meals from local area restaurants. Mr. Pokorny will be, "discovering" our area for the first time and is excited about his trip here. The next drawing will be in late April for the Coastal Art Getaway. These contests are a very effective way to collect email addresses to build up our guest database (now over 40,000) who receive our event e-newsletters each month.
Tourist Tax collections for November were $46,043.65, up slightly at 3.6% this same time last year. Our four visitor centers reported over 2,010 guests in January.
The Eastpoint Visitor Center hosted Riverways South's annual planning session and board meeting. Sheriff A.J. Smith provided the leadership session for this meeting. Riverways South and the FCTDC have partnered with Goodwill Industries again this year to offer certified Customer Service Training. Twenty seats are open for any person looking to increase their customer service skills. Participants from the vacation rental and lodging industry, restaurants, the county and sheriff’s office are taking part in the program. The course will be offered at the Eastpoint Firehouse on February 28, 2017 from 1p to 4p. Those attendees who pass will be certified by the American Hotel & Lodging Education Institute. The cost is $50 and scholarships are available. For more information call Jean or Laura at 850-670-3474.
Visit Florida will host its annual Tourism Day on March 14, 2017. This training session is co-sponsored by Visit Florida and the Florida Hotel and Restaurant Association. Instructions on how to carry the word about Florida’s reliance on the hospitality industry will be highlighted with visits to participant’s local legislators to follow. For more information contact Laura Graham at the FCTDC at 850-670-3474.
There are no FCTDC meetings in March. The next board meeting will be held at the EPVC at 2pm on April 12, 2017. All meetings are open to the public. Check out our new website for more information on upcoming area events such as the new Carrabelle Fly In on March 11th at floridasforgottencoast.com
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