After a few soft years due to the recession, the local business and leisure tourism industry began its recovery in 2014.
That recovery continued in 2015 and all indications are it won’t stop next year, said Paul Astleford, CEO of Visit Jacksonville, the convention and visitors bureau for Jacksonville and the Beaches.
Tourism in Jacksonville supports about 22,000 jobs and has an annual economic impact of $2.2 billion, according to the organization.
“The base of our business was up by 10 percent in 2014 compared to 2013 and we expect it will be up again this year by about 5 percent,” he said.
Bringing more people to Jacksonville who sleep in hotel rooms while they’re here will mean more bed tax revenue. The city collects 6 percent on hotel bills in addition to sales tax. The funds are used to maintain city sports and entertainment facilities and to promote tourism.
Astleford said collecting more bed tax revenue benefits the community by funding new projects such as the recently-approved EverBank Field amphitheater.
Looking ahead to 2016, Astleford said more than 118,000 hotel room nights already have been booked for 232 groups, including 22 new military group reunions.
He said the new truJAX campaign to identify what makes Jacksonville such an attractive destination for tourism, business and living will make marketing the city easier and more effective.
“All of the economic development organizations will speak with a unified voice to present Jacksonville to the world,” he said.