 Tourism Numbers and the 450th Anniversary
Record Exposure
Marketing efforts for the 450th anniversary have helped keep visitor numbers up in a down economy. The CVB launched an advertising campaign in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Nashville and Birmingham. We promoted events through news releases and media visits, which generated more than 800 stories in local, regional, national, and international media, including such publications as Smithsonian, USA Today, MSNBC, and in 43 states and a dozen countries. This coverage is worth millions of dollars in advertising equivalency. In fact, all the coverage about the Pensacola Bay Area as a tourist destination this year exceeds $10 million— a record for the CVB.
Strong Numbers
For the months of May, June and July, Historic Pensacola Village in Downtown Pensacola saw a 42 percent increase from the same time period the year before. The National Naval Aviation Museum has seen 19 percent more visitors than last summer. On Perdido Key, Big Lagoon State Park experienced a 15 percent increase in visitors, and as of June 30, lodging revenues on Perdido Key were up 4 percent from last year. While Pensacola Beach lodging revenues were down 3 percent, traffic through the toll booth was up 12 percent compared to May, June and July of 2008. This does not account for the traffic coming from the east on the recently completed Earle Bowden Way. This year’s visitor spending patterns are exceeding expectations so far with retail sales on Pensacola Beach reported up 7 percent above last year. Occupancy rates county-wide in hotel rooms for April, June, and July exceeded those rates last year. (55.4%, 67.4%, and 72.1% respectively.) Plus, February, March, and May were not far off from last year. |
