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Jacksonville benefits from the economic impact of tourism as well as positive exposure and word-of-mouth publicity.
Tourism not only generates increased visitor demand, but also portrays an image of a city that would be good for business, new residents and enhanced quality of life.
Tourism offers a gesture of good will and exposes visitors to our Southern hospitality and culture building a positive perception of the city.
A city needs to build a reputation as a premiere destination for leisure and business travelers to attract visitors as it is a very competitive climate among destinations.
It is necessary to attract new and maintain current tourism product, such as attractions and quality properties, to draw first-time and repeat visitors to Jacksonville.
Visitors want to do more than just travel; they want an experience. Even when visitors are in town for one event or activity, it is the compilation of all the things they see and do in a destination that creates that experience.
2009 Economic Impact
The hospitality industry is one of the largest employers in the United States.
Locally, 42,900 jobs were supported by tourism, accounting for nearly 11 percent of our workforce in 2009.
Duval County welcomed over 2.6 million overnight visitors who generated $1.5 billion in economic impact for Jacksonville.
Visitors to Jacksonville saved each Duval County resident household an estimated $173 dollars in taxes last year.
This industry adds to our residents’ quality of life with increased product and air service that we all enjoy.
Average age of visitor to Jacksonville was 49 years old with a median annual income household income of nearly $106,200.
Jacksonville is still primarily a leisure destination with 82.5 percent of travelers in town for vacation, visiting friends or relatives or events. Twenty-three percent of visitors were in town for business purposes in 2009.
The top three markets for visitors to the destination were: Southeast United States (minus Florida) at 36 percent, followed by in-state visitors at 26 percent and the Northeast at 13 percent.
The top three market cities with the largest amount of visitors to the area were Atlanta, Orlando and Tampa/St. Petersburg.
Jacksonville visitors had a 92 percent satisfaction rate with the destination proving how viable our city is for tourism.
Visitor demographic to Jacksonville:
Couples (traveling without kids): 35.7 percent
Families: 30.4 percent
Single: 18 percent
The top things about Jacksonville that were perceived as “Excellent” include:
Friendliness of residents
Level of service
Value for the dollar
With a high satisfaction rating, visitors found many attributes for the destination. The number one Jacksonville attribute articulated by visitors in 2009 was that the destination is safe with affirmative responses from 79 percent of visitors. Good value for the money (70 percent), family-friendly (69 percent), upscale accommodations (67 percent) and good food and restaurants (67 percent) rounded out the top five attributes.
Some of the top activities for visitors to Jacksonville include:
Dining Out – 67 percent
Spending time at the beach – 47 percent
Shopping – 25 percent
Relaxing – 22 percent
Spending time with friends and family – 21 percent
2009 Value of Tourism
