TOURISM
#TRAVELWORKS FOR THE TREASURE COAST
BY AMBER BATCHELOR
Imagine waking up and seeing US HWY 1, our Florida Scenic
Highway, empty during our normal seasonal rush. Imagine
the doors of your business swinging open and less and less.
Imagine the phone calls trickling in slower and slower. Imagine
“season” feeling more like a slower summer with fewer people
choosing to vacation or buy homes in Indian River, Martin, or St.
Lucie Counties. Can you imagine the impact to your business’
growth, your employees’ lives, your prospective customers’ or
clients’ ability to find you? Well, the truth is we do not want to
imagine but, the reality is, these could very soon be facts.
If the Florida Legislature does not affirmatively pass legislation
this session to reauthorize VISIT FLORIDA, the organization
will cease to exist and Florida’s tourism industry will go silent in
domestic and global markets.
VISIT FLORIDA is more than a slogan or catchphrase to draw
in travelers to our beautiful state. In 1996 our Florida Legislature
had the foresight to know that our state needed a public-private
partnership that could attract and retain travelers to our destination
in record numbers. VISIT FLORIDA is charged with marketing
and promoting our great state domestically and internationally.
VISIT FLORIDA has been undeniably successful through a
variety of partnerships with more than 13,000 businesses across
the state, VISIT FLORIDA’s programs promote Florida destinations
small and large, rural and urban in all of the state’s 67
counties including Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie. Its work is
unmatched and unparalleled by any other singular organization.
This organization is the true definition of the positive impact
that occurs from collaboration and highly strategic coordination.
Its reach extends to every taxpayer across the state. Visitors to
Florida save every Florida household $1,512 annually on state and
local taxes. (Source: Rockport Analytics, Census Bureau) According
to the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research,
for every public dollar invested in VISIT FLORIDA, $2.15 is returned
to taxpayers. Because of VISIT FLORIDA’s promotion efforts, the
Florida tourism industry supports 1.5 million jobs and in 2017,
contributed $85.9 billion to Florida’s economy with over 90,000
jobs in our central east regional area.
Now is not the time to reduce Florida’s tourism marketing efforts.
VISIT FLORIDA markets and provides marketing dollars in
support of the Treasure Coast business community. Speaking with
Dana Young, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA at the organization’s
2019 Tourism Leadership Forum in Panama City Beach, she
expressed strong sentiments about the need for the greater business
community to stand up and speak up for VISIT FLORIDA.
She emphasized that, “VISIT FLORIDA and tourism marketing are
critical to our state’s economy. The visitors that are attracted by
VISIT FLORIDA create jobs and keep taxes low in every Florida
county. This legislative session, the Treasure Coast business community
should make sure their elected officials understand that
tourism is not an industry that can be taken for granted.”
Not reauthorizing VISIT FLORIDA is akin to giving up market
share — market share that another state will quickly take over
before your business knows what hit it, without the immediate
possibility to recover. VISIT FLORIDA advocates for our illustrious
state when our prospective travelers can choose California, Texas,
or international vacation among other destinations. It persuades
those travelers through telling the story of our dear Florida, our
simples pleasures and authentic treasures
specific to our regional destinations in
Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie Counties
from Sebastian River area down to Jupiter
Island. Dana Young reminds us that we are
stronger together in the effort to maintain
our market share by saying, “If the Florida
Legislature does not act to keep VISIT
FLORIDA this year, our state will go silent
Dana Young,
on the national and international stage
President and CEO
and tourists will vacation somewhere else.
of VISIT FLORIDA
In order to maintain and grow our state,
Florida must continue to invite people from around the world to
every part of Florida - from the biggest cities to the smallest counties.
Working together, we will keep Florida’s economy strong and
its foundational tourism industry healthy.”
As one of the two primary Destination Marketing Organizations
(DMOs) that work on behalf of Indian River County we, Sebastian
River Area Chamber of Commerce, work in alignment and in
tandem with VISIT FLORIDA to support our business community.
We are aware of what happened to other states that did not
reauthorize or continue to fund their statewide tourism marketing
programs and neither want that for our economy nor the
families that it will negatively impact. For instance, Colorado cut
its tourism marketing budget from $12 million to zero in 1993.
Within just 1 year, the state lost $1.4 billion in traveler spending
and Colorado slipped from 1st to 17th place in the summer resort
category. Within 4 short years of discontinuing tourism marketing,
$2.4 billion was lost in traveler spending. It took Colorado 21
years to regain their share of overnight leisure travelers. (Source:
U.S. travel) Also, Pennsylvania cut its tourism marketing budget
cut from $30 million to $7 million in 2009. From 2009 to 2014,
Pennsylvania lost 37.3 million marketable trip visitors, $7.7 billion
of visitor spending, $3.2 billion of labor income, and almost $450
million of state taxes. Every $1 cut from Pennsylvania’s tourism
budget cost $3.60 lost in tax revenue and between 2009 and
2014, the state lost more than $600 million in state and local tax
revenue. (Source: VisitPhilly, U.S. Travel)
By now, you would agree that an organization with this type of
passion and crucial effect working on behalf of the people and
businesses of Florida is valuable, right? Perfect! That is exactly
how you should feel. VISIT FLORIDA has put a call-to-action out
for you to contact your legislative representatives. Voice your support
of reauthorizing VISIT FLORIDA for 8 years and funding this
important agency with at least $50 million. VISIT FLORIDA needs
level, recurring funding for years to come so the organization can
continue to focus on leveraging private sector investment to attract
more visitors to our Sunshine State.
Visit tourismworksforflorida.org to be an informed advocate
for this essential agency. VISIT FLORIDA is on counting you! v
tourismworksforflorida.org
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