ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County leaders are engaged on a plan to draw extra guests to the world after seeing a slight dip in tourism numbers in comparison with years previous.
Regardless of the general decline in tourism final yr, the favored “Nights of Lights” occasion supplied a much-needed enhance within the closing months, permitting eating places and inns to recoup a number of the yr’s income losses.
Nonetheless, Susan Phillips, president and CEO of the Customer and Conference Bureau, mentioned the decline was anticipated, describing 2024 as a yr of “reset” following consecutive years of double-digit progress after the pandemic.
To stop one other difficult yr, the bureau plans to advertise ongoing occasions like “Nights of Lights” and develop advertising and marketing efforts internationally. Key targets embody vacationers from the UK, Germany, and France.
“We’re discovering there’s an enormous demand internationally,” Phillips mentioned. “Plenty of them are simply now getting again to a degree the place they’ll do their visas… They’re able to journey and wish to come right here to study our historical past.”
The bureau can be seeking to capitalize on Florida’s cruise trade. They plan to encourage cruise passengers to spend time in St. Johns County earlier than or after their journeys, providing them an opportunity to discover the world’s distinctive points of interest.
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