TripAdvisor names Fernandina Beach one of 15 Sparkling Seaside Towns in the U.S.

TripAdvisor
Media Release
October 2, 2019

The travel site TripAdvisor has named Frenandina Beach to its list of 15 Sparkling Seaside Towns in the United States, from California to the Carolinas.  In its description of Fernandina Beach, the website reads:

Fernandina Beach is located on scenic Amelia Island, meaning calm bathtub-like waters and gentle surf are to be expected. You can easily explore the area via kayak or electric skateboard, while resorts and world-class spas ensure you get high-quality downtime. And of course, you can’t forget the beaches—13 miles of pristine coast ensure you’re never too far from the ocean. 

Other towns on the list include:

  • Seaside, OR
  • Dana Point, CA
  • Narragansett, RI
  • Ogunquit, ME
  • Orange Beach, AL
  • Corolla, NC
  • Kailua-Kona, HI
  • Hilton Head Island, SC
  • Carmel, CA
  • Cape May, NJ
  • Navarre, FL
  • Cannon Beach, OR
  • Encinitas, CA
  • Lahaina, HI
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Mary Miller
Mary Miller(@mary-miller)
4 years ago

With all the endorsements from so many sources, why does the TDC continue to spend most of their funds to promoting Amelia Island. We’ve been more than discovered and could use the money generated from the bed tax to cover the expenses of our beaches.

Gerald Decker
Gerald Decker(@myfernandina)
4 years ago

I say “good job” to Gil Langley and all at the TDC for promoting FB and the island. Tourism is the life blood of the local economy. And thanks also for helping maintain our beaches. Side note: thankfully TA overlooked our 2 paper mills and all the log trucks we enjoy every day….bet none of the other “sparkling seaside towns” have anything like that to boast about.

Harry Henning
Harry Henning (@guest_55938)
4 years ago

I bet virtually all of the do not have an auto-centric condo operation either.

Malcolm Noden
Malcolm Noden (@guest_55945)
4 years ago

To answer Ms. Miller who asked the question, “…why does the TDC continue to spend most of their funds to promoting Amelia Island.” Let me observe two things. First the TDC does what it does in response to their basic directions from the city and county authorities. Second, and more relevantly the business of promoting inbound tourism to a destination has to be a constant process in order to effectively compete with many other destinations. Let me put forward just one notorious example of what happens when a statewide tourism program drops its marketing outreach.

“The argument has been made that visitors will come to a city or state regardless of
marketing efforts, and some have questioned the value of investing in city or state
tourism marketing programs. In answer to this line of thinking is the now famous “Case
of Colorado.” In 1993, Colorado’s $13 million tourism budget was eliminated, leaving it
as the only state in the U.S. without tourism funding. A 1999 research study showed
that Colorado’s share of domestic pleasure travel dropped 30% between 1993 and 1997,
and that it fell from first place in the summer resort category in 1993 to 17th place in
1997. The state moved from a national fly-in destination to a primarily regional drive
market, costing Colorado residents approximately $2.4 billion in tourism revenue and
$134 million in taxes annually.” Source-White Paper on California Tourism-June 2013.

In short, tourism marketing and promotion is vitally important to the ongoing economic benefit of its host population, because, in the absence of a continuing marketing/promotion program, the public will largely ignore what they don’t see before them, and competing destinations will absorb their expanding market demand. These are the facts of life in the tourism business and we ignore them at our peril.

Dave Lott
Dave Lott(@dave-l)
4 years ago
Reply to  Malcolm Noden

Excellent points Malcolm. Same reason that restaurants and other types of retailers do the same thing – staying top of mind. Of course, there needs to be maintenance of the elements that visitors find so attractive to keep them coming back.