Visit Pensacola Highlights Industry Successes, Celebrates Community Involvement Amidst National Travel and Tourism Week

Media Contact:

Nicole Stacey
Visit Pensacola
(850) 434-2142
nstacey@visitpensacola.com

NTTW

Pensacola, Fla. (April 17, 2018) – National Travel and Tourism Week is the annual salute to travel in America. Last week, the Pensacola Bay Area community united to express the impact of travel and tourism and to celebrate its successes. Majority Opinion Research President Jeff Shusterman shared insights into recent research indicating that Escambia County has increased in both visitors and visitor spending.

Some of the successes highlighted in the report given:

Metrics	CY 2017	% Change
Estimated Unique Visitors	2.68 million	+29%
Estimated Direct Spending	$849 million	+2%
Taxes Paid by Visitors	$22.3 million	+2%
TDT Collections	$10.6 million	+5%
Local Options Sales Tax	$10.3 million	+2%
Hospitality / Leisure Jobs	24,081	+8%
Estimated Hospitality / Leisure Payroll	$427 million	+2%

“One of my key areas of focus for 2018 was to continue to use data to drive business decisions. These numbers are a direct reflection of a job well done by staff, tourism partners, industry leaders, and stakeholders,” Visit Pensacola Board Chairman Jason Nicholson said.

Other events among the week included the Hospitality Olympics; a relay event aimed to create friendly competition and camaraderie, a half-day educational summit, a philanthropic day in partnership with Clean the World, and a travel rally. On Wednesday, the annual Hospitality Hero Awards were presented to front-line staff that go above and beyond to create the Pensacola experience.

Award recipients included:

Honoree	Category
Vinh Le, First Tee of Northwest Florida Goofy Golf	Attractions / Venues
Wayne Watson, Residence Inn Marriott	Lodging
Thomas Caplinger, Jackson’s Steakhouse	Restaurant / Dining
Diletta Rosasco, Duh for Garden and Home	Shopping

To view a recap of the week, watch the video below.

“National Travel and Tourism Week allowed us to celebrate what travel means to our community. We called on everyone—from elected officials to residents—to join us in supporting this important industry,” President of Visit Pensacola Steve Hayes said. “It was a great week for the hospitality and tourism industry, and we look forward to continuing to share the impact as we get ready for our summer travelers.”

For more information on National Travel and Tourism Week 2018, visit visitpensacola.org.

About Visit Pensacola

Visit Pensacola is the destination management organization for Escambia County which includes Pensacola, Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key. With over 450 years of rich history and 18 miles of sugar-white sand beaches bordered by the emerald-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico, visitors from all over the world are lured to our pristine shores every year. Visit Pensacola supports the community vision of tourism by serving as the central body responsible for building tourism as an economic engine for our community through leadership, connection, collaboration and communication.