Today at 2pm at the Bay Point Marriott is a public workshop discussing the 2008 Bay County Tourist Development Council and Panama City Beach CVB Strategic Plan.
Below is a link to the rough draft outline.
Some of the key initiatives include:
- Protect our key asset, the beach
- Seek additional funding from state and federal sources
- Develop additional beach maintenance, grooming, recycling and trash removal
- Work to enhance the overall beach experience
- Develop Panama City Beach in a year-round tourist destination
- Look into an enhanced Sports Complex and convention center
- Entice sports promoters to hold sporting events here
- Work with Audubon Society to develop eco-tourism opportunities in Bay County
- Attract new family friendly entertainment venues that operate year-round
- Embrace a strong special events philosophy to assist existing events, foster new events, and attract additional events to the community
- Enhance the visitor experience at Panama City Beach
- Support the CRA and enhance the streetscape and pedestrian friendliness of the transportation thoroughfares
- enhance the perception of Panama City Beach
- Support Beach Chamber in community-wide hospitality training for front-line employees
- enhance wifi capabilities in tourist areas of the beach
- Build occupancy levels
- Develop highly trackable advertising campaigns
- All official and sanctioned guides, websites, brochures and other distributed materials must be high quality
- Develop comprehensive website that serves as the online portal for everything Pnama City Beach
- Develop international marketing campaign
- Engage in research studies to determine rising market trends and better understand visitors of Panama City Beach
- Advocate for an increase in the Tourist Development Tax Rate
- Educate elected officials and the public on the positive impact tourism has on the local economy and the benefit of increasing the tdc tax
- Conduct feasibility studies to determine viability of a convention center and sports complex
PCBDaily 
Where’s the link?
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Nice, gotta love those early morning posts. It is up now, sorry.
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Hi Everyone,
I know that many people could not attend this event due to the timing or simply didn’t know about it. Being there I can say that it was VERY successful.
Pressing forward, this could provide some great direction for the future of Panama City Beach.
The final order of importance or priority;
* Advocate for an increase in the Tourist Development Tax Rate
* Enhance the visitor experience at Panama City Beach
* Develop Panama City Beach in a year-round tourist destination
* Build occupancy levels
* Protect our key asset, the beach
Please note that there are MANY factors that play into this order and you canNOT simply judge it by reading the titles. This was agreed upon by some of the most success business people on the beach. i.e. We currently are protecting our beach, collect a current tax for it and have around 10 million in reserve for restoration.
Everyone provided great input from how we position our brand to the bed tax being County wide (which in my opinion it should but that separate discussion!).
I am sure that Byran or Jason will provide more.
Regards,
Charles
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That is good news Charles. I am glad beach restoration is a high priority and is being budgeted for. I would have moved it up in priority, but I also like the other things listed. The beach is what this place is all about.
RC
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Yes, this was a very good meeting. Please note that the #1 Initiive was actually changed and exploring an increase in bed tax is now considered one of the many strategies considered to obtain the new inititive. I didn’t write down the exact wording of the new inititive – this is my best recollection: Obtain adequate, sustainable funds to achieve the other four inititives.
Cheri
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There are a large number of environmentalists in our society now and rightfully so. I like the idea of promoting eco-tourism. BoonDockers has the air-boat ride and that was very smart on their part. But what about some real bird watching, or other animal habitats, that are basically free?
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My family’s” visitor experience” never got started. Perhaps the practices of local Realtors should be reviewed. I made an agreement with Jim Vider of Prudential Shimmering Sands Realty to come to your beaches (Gulfcrest to be exact) in July. Searched on the Internet for a great looking place and your city had our vote until our condo was sold out from under us in one days time. I think we’ll visit Destin again. Thanks but no thanks, Panama City.
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Why does the tourist development council not utilize one of this area’s most valuable asset? We all know and love our Wagon Man. He has published a book about when he walked from panama city beach to los angeles california. He is truely a treasure which we should use. I would like to send him to other target cities and colleges with information and samples from our area. He would send us tons of family tourists. Our Wagon Man has many valuable ideas for our area when someone has time to listen to him. He truely loves his community and we truely love him right back. Our Wagon Man has become world famous with friends in both London and France. I would love to see our tdc put our Wagon Man to work for our community. Thank you sincerely
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