Amelia Island Convention Visitors Bureau
MEDIA RELEASE
July 20, 2019 3:00 p.m.
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. (July 16, 2019) – Northeast Florida’s Amelia Island has placed No. 8 among America’s Islands by readers of Travel + Leisure. The travel magazine recently released results from its annual World’s Best reader survey, in which Amelia Island was voted one of the top islands in the continental United States, making it one of only two Florida destinations on the list.
“Travel + Leisure has a very savvy, well-traveled readership, which gives tremendous weight to this annual survey,” said Gil Langley, President of the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. “These travelers have so many great options available to them, making it a true honor for our little island paradise to be chosen as one of their favorite destinations.”
The World’s Best is a travel awards program run by Travel + Leisure and based on an annual reader survey. The prestigious annual awards honor the top travel destinations, hotels and companies worldwide. The 2019 survey was open at tlworldsbest.com from November 6, 2018 to March 4, 2019.
“For 24 years, our readers have been voting in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards. This annual franchise is a global collection of the top hotels, islands, cities, cruise lines, airlines, and more,” says Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure Editor in Chief. “Brands and properties from all over the world – from Peru to Japan, India to Italy, and right here at home in the United States – are recognized by our audience because they deliver on exceptional experiences, rooted in a sense of place. I congratulate all of this year’s winners, who have worked so hard to be among the world’s best.”
The winners will appear in the August 2019 issue of Travel + Leisure magazine and have been released on T+L’s website.
I think there comes a time in any communities life when they have to have a serious conversation about its future. For Amelia Island that time is past due. My personal feeling is Mr. Gil Langley and his staff have done an incredible job in promoting our island. Hotels are bursting at the seams. Two perhaps three new ones are being built. Restaurants and Bars Popping up like mushrooms, and they can’t find waitstaff to support them. We have over 30,000 new homes being built in the development stage in the County, and a new Resort on the South end of our Island Plus Condos, and Apartments are springing up all over the place. Just when is enough, Enough.?? I think Mr. Langley has worked himself out of a job. The Bed Tax amounts to something like $5 million/year. A few people have put forth the idea that instead of promoting our home with that money, we should utilize it to purchase land to help salvage what we can of our Beautiful Island, and I agree. This can’t continue. It’s projected that our county will expand in population by 28% by the year 2030 (in 11 years) That’s Insane.
Once developed never the same
Relish and protect Edgar makes Amelia unique
Looks like you’ll need to start getting the law changed so the money can be used for land conservation. Currently, that’s not allowed.
Unfortunately Mr. Vogel is right, the money cannot be used to conserve. The law of unintended consequences has hit hard for the residents here. The promotion money being spent is for what purpose beyond subsidizing developers, hotels, and restaurants? I will answer that, nothing else. I saw the article in Southern Living about the Crane Island estate home. Every positive point mentioned. Missing was any detail about it being directly on the 9/26 runway path. In point of fact I believe there is some kind of airport operation easement on properties on Crane as part of the annexation process into the city. Lastly, it is marketed as on
Crane Island distinct from Fernandina Beach.
Vince, Crane Island property owners are required to sign an avigation easement as part of their closing acknowledging they are adjacent to the municipal airport and they are prohibited from bringing any legal action against the City for the normal operation of the airport.
The sky IS NOT FALLING, if the whiners on this island put their money behind their VERY LOUD and ANNOYING mouths, they could finance their conservation dreams not the taxpayers. Dont use OPM, use your own.
That’s quite an impact , but to be the best it enatils both the city and county working together to 1) eliminate the debris from spillage of plastics, cans , etc. by having an ordinance to cover open bed trucks, 2) Sadler Road, with all its hotels needs upgrades, incuding Majestic Palms like Neptune Beach onboth sides of stretet, and median islands that have only sloppy grass, 3) If you can edgeGolf Course of Amelia Island and certaily city can edge Amelia Parkway, Sadler Road and other well travelled streets.4) get the Post office on Sadler to clean itself up-it should be a showcase and 5) sooner or later Fletcher with its hundreds of suspended wires off telephone poles needs for utilities to be placed underground and needs a facelift after this is accomplished.
Lest it go unsaid—Kudos and a hearty “well done” to Gil Langley and his staff. Tourism is the driving force of the island economy, even more than the mills. Keeo the island beautiful, yes, but without growth everything will die….then where are you, Mr Crounse?
It’s hard to ‘keep the island beautiful’ when all the trees are being cut down for Mr Decker’s (and others’) desired growth. No one will want to come here when the island is nothing but wall to wall houses, hotels, shops, restaurants, and asphalt. Tourists can find that combo anywhere along the Florida coast.
When all our trees are gone (except for a few non-native palms that give no shade and provide no stability to the sand/soil), the island will be vulnerable to the next big storm and all the development he and others crave will be washed away, along with the island we love.
When our wetlands have all been filled in for more building, we will look no different from any city in Florida and thus no longer a draw for the almighty tourists.