Cindy Jackson
Reporter
October 30, 2019
One highlight of the Board of County Commissioners meeting on October 28th, 2019 was the quarterly report of the Amelia Island Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) by CEO Gil Langley.
And with one exception, that report was chock full of good news.
For instance:
• Tourism is the number one private sector employer in Nassau County
• Tourism saves each resident approximately $3,400 in taxes as visitors pay 37.5% of Nassau County’s sales taxes
• Bed tax collections have witnessed a decade of record revenue with $151 million in taxable sales for FY19 (September figures estimated) compared to $69.7 million in FY2010. For FY19, the bed tax collected exceeded $7.7 million
• There has been a 9% growth in tourism sales tax and a growth of total sales tax revenue to the tune of 5%
• A competitive analysis of 30 destinations in the State shows Amelia Island is able to “command premium pricing” (at an average of $236/night). Only Key West is ahead of Amelia Island followed by Naples
• Total economic impact of tourism to Nassau County — $850 million
Langley also made mention of the fact the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau is funded 100% by visitor user fees – not local taxes. Mr. Langley also reported that in the next 18 months, 400 new rooms will be available, constituting a 25% increase in available lodging.
When Amy Boek, Chief Marketing Officer spoke at the podium, she mentioned part of an ongoing strategy is to concentrate more efforts on attracting tourists from outside of the State of Florida noting that visitors from further away “stay longer and spend more.”
Efforts to attract visitors from foreign countries is also paying off with an increase in visitors from Germany and England being especially notable.
The one dark cloud on an otherwise positive picture was the impact of Hurricane Dorian. While she blew past Northeast Florida with no catastrophic damage to speak of, news of impending high winds, flooding and mandatory evacuations took their toll – resulting in a total economic impact LOSS of some $9.5 million.
To view the report in its entirety, click here.
Editor’s Note: Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, Cindy received her BA in Political Science from Dickinson College. Upon graduation, Cindy began her career on Capitol Hill working as a legislative aide and director. She later became a part of the public relations and lobbying team of the American Iron and Steel Institute and served as director of the office of state legislative affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Cindy was involved in economic development with the state of Maryland, and served as executive director of Leadership Washington County. As a community volunteer, Cindy participates in numerous volunteer activities serving as a member of Sunrise Rotary, and as board member of Cummer Amelia Board of Directors.