Story and photos by DOTTY NIST
With 3 million visitors welcomed to south Walton County this year, Jim Bagby recently announced the destination as number two statewide in bed tax collections for June and July 2014.
The Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) director gave a glowing report on local tourism at the TDC’s Oct. 21 annual meeting at the Hilton Sandestin.
About 200 people were in attendance at the celebration on the hotel’s beachfront deck, including bed tax collectors and other business people, local officials, community members, and county and TDC staff members.
Two months earlier, bed tax figures were reported to have exceeded $4 million for the first time ever. This was for taxes collected in June. Bagby told attendees that July figures had also surpassed $4 million.
Orange County was the only county ahead of Walton County for those months, he explained. Bagby pointed out that bed tax figures of this magnitude translated to more than $90 million in visitor spending in south Walton County for each of the two record months.
Other good news provided included the marking of 47 sea turtle nests on the county’s beaches for the season, 43 of which had hatched. In addition, Bagby reported that the TDC had won 27 advertising awards during the year.
He proclaimed south Walton County as a destination with more Golden Spoon Award-winning restaurants per capita “than anyone in Florida,” thanks to tourism. Over 3,500 people had voted for their favorite restaurants and other businesses in the TDC’s “Perfect in South Walton” competition, Bagby revealed. He promised the announcement of results for the following week.
Featured at the annual meeting was the TDC’s “Perfect Escape Booth,” designed to make the “South Walton” experience portable. The booth treats those who enter with the visuals, sounds and scents of the beach. TDC staff had taken the booth to a conference in Chicago and also to events and festivals in core markets such as Atlanta and New Orleans in order to promote the destination.
“It really is an artistic community, and that gives us so much of our character,” said Jon Ervin, TDC marketing and communications director.
Ervin recognized artists selected in the past as South Walton Artist of the Year and announced artists honored through the program for 2015.
These included Shelly Swanger for photography, Rick Mungeam for sculpture, and Melody Bogle for painting.
Contemporary painter Juan Francisco Adaro was named 2015 South Walton Artist of the Year.
Pam Watkins, TDC director of sales and special events, announced the 2014 Van Ness Butler, Jr., Hospitality Award recipient. The award honors individuals who have played an active role in the tourism industry. This year’s recipient is tourism pioneer Jeanne Dailey of Newman-Dailey Resort Properties.
The meeting concluded with a toast to the people who make the area special and the distribution of tote bags featuring the TDC’s new “Sun Wave” logo.
