Daytona Beach, FL - The Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (DBACVB) has plans in the works to step up their marketing game to bring more visitors to the Daytona Beach area and Volusia County in 2017.
The DBACVB has held several focus groups recently and they'll be meeting with Volusia County staff to discuss how the data collected can be used to increase tourism and air traffic from key markets like Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
In the 2015/2016 fiscal year the amount of money collected in bed tax exceeded the estimated budget of $7.75 million by $280,000. The bed tax is not paid by residents - it's a 3% tax paid by visitors staying in local hotels. In it's December 1 meeting, the Halifax Area Advertising Authority (HAAA) board appoved a marketing plan for that additional bed tax money that's designed to enhanced the current advertising, communications, and group sales plans for 2017.
A plan to get Danica Patrick as a destination spokesperson is also underway. A contract's been signed and scripts have been approved, but the date and location of the photo shoot have not yet been confirmed. The contract allows the videos produced to run for a year on the CVB's digital platforms including websites, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube channels, and in email and editorial content. Patrick will also write posts about the Daytona Beach area on her own social media sites.
“This is a great opportunity for our destination to tap the 93 million social followers Danica Patrick brings to the table,” said Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Lori Campbell Baker. “Her brand is positive, empowering and inspiring, and she effectively reaches decision makers who will bring their families to the Daytona Beach area. It’s a very exciting project for us.”
In 2015 over 9.5 million people visited Daytona Beach and they spent about $5.4 billion. 2016's tourism numbers won't be released until May. Interestingly, 40% of local sales tax dollars collected in Volusia County comes out of the pockets of tourists.
Photo courtesy Sean Pavone and Shutterstock.com.
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2016.
