PANAMA: Gulf County Tourism Wraps Up Record Year

Unless the bed tax collections for September dropped off the table, the Gulf County Tourist Development Council (TDC) completed a record fiscal year, and by all indications September tax collections were just fine.

The final numbers won’t be available until later in the month, but the TDC closed August more than 11 percent above last year’s collections in the same month, based on the core 4-cent bed tax, and was tracking more than $130,000 ahead of last year’s record-breaking revenue numbers.

That keeps the TDC on track to not only top last year’s $1.3 million in collections, but will likely top the goal of improving revenue by 10 percent, TDC Executive Director Jennifer Jenkins said. August finished 6.7 percent above last year, which meant that growth in the summer months of June, July and August finished up 21 percent compared to just two years ago.

“Everything is strong so far,” Jenkins said, hoping for a September spurt that could bring yearly growth to 15 percent. “Everything is pacing well. I’m really pleased.

“Everything seems to be going right into place.”

By just about any metric, website traffic, Facebook likes, the disappearance of Visitor’s Guides into visitors’ and prospective visitors’ hands, the TDC realized continued growth this year, Jenkins said. This made some 2013 numbers from VISIT Florida, specific to Gulf County, all the more impressive.

Two years ago, tourism generated $33 million in spending in the county, resulting in 300 jobs, $7.45 million in payroll, $1.59 million in state taxes and more than $1 million in local taxes.

This year was the first time the TDC eclipsed $1 million in bed tax revenue.

“… I found those numbers interesting, but I want to know more, such as what are the components of tourism they count,” Jenkins said,

After several years of discussion, the TDC will undertake an “identity exercise” to analyze the county brand and strategies for marketing and expanding that brand. One goal, Jenkins said, is to come out of the exercisewith a common logo “used by all for branding,” Jenkins said.

“It is a smart thing to do so there is no confusion,” she said. “It will aid economic development, too.”

The goal is to complete the exercise and present the findings, with input from the community, to the Board of County Commissioners in December.

“This is a process that has been three-plus years in the making and it is nice to see it come to fruition,” said TDC advisory board chairman David Warriner.