Four hundred people gathered yesterday at the Rex Theater for a multimedia update by Visit Pensacola on Destination 2020, its five-year strategy for marketing the greater Pensacola area —Pensacola Beach, Pensacola and Perdido Key— as a destination.
I’m not easily impressed with these top of over-the-top staged events. My attitude is usually give me the press kit, t-shirt and logo sticker and let me get back to the real world. I still have memories Mayor Hayward’s “Upside of Florida” extravaganza in July 2012 and how he fired the advertising company six months later.
However, Destination 2020 is different. Over 300 people have offered input to the planning over the past four months. The leaders listened. I got no sense of Visit Pensacola trying to steer the process to some hidden agenda that serves only a few stakeholders.
The mission of Visit Pensacola is: Lead. Connect. Collaborate. Communicate. With the vision of making tourism a vital, highly valued and strongly supported economic engine for the community.
How much does tourism contribute to our economy? 20,000 jobs $700 million Direct Visitor Spending in 2014 $61.1 million sale tax revenue.
SWOT (Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis:
Strengths:
Natural Environment
Diversity of Experience (Beach, Culture, History)
Community Culture (Authentic, relaxed, hospitable)
Quality of Life
Real City
Leadership
Weaknesses:
Lack of meeting space
Absence of easy transportation connectivity between Pensacola Beach, downtown Pensacola and Perdido Key
Lack of “Wow” factor at entry points into our area
Limited lodging
Limited commercial flights
Slow process to increase shoulder seasons
Failure of community groups to work together
“Me” v. “We” thinking
The Destination 2020 Strategic Plan is available on its website.
Visit Pensacola has another five months of planning and budget workshops before the final plan is released. The engagement of all the community in the process is critical to the plan’s success.
Based on yesterday’s turnout, I don’t think community involvement will be a problem.