Visitors loved Pensacola area in 2014 — a lot
- May 4, 2015
- / Shannon Nickinson
- / economy
Revised tourism numbers for Florida in 2014 showed people loved us — a lot.
Statewide, 98.9 million people visited Florida, according to numbers released by Gov. Rick Scott last week.
The Pensacola metro area’s share of that — 1.8 million overnight visitors in 2014, according to Phyllis Pooley, co-director of of the University of West Florida’s Haas Center in the Office of Economic Development and Engagement.
Bed tax revenue — a tax charged on overnight room rentals — is often used as a measure of the impact tourism has on the economy.
And in the Escambia-Santa Rosa area, it’s impact is big.
Employment in the industries most directly related to tourism - accommodations, food services and arts, entertainment and recreation — alone represents more than 23,000 jobs, Pooley says.
“Tourism represents a major industry for the Pensacola area,” Pooley says. “Tourists bring dollars from outside of the community, benefiting many other industries, particularly hotels, motels, restaurants and drinking establishments.
“These dollars are used to pay local wages that are then used to purchase goods and services from other sectors of the economy,” Pooley says.
Tourist dollars also are a source of state and local revenues, both in retail sales tax and tourist development tax revenues, Pooley said.
Graphic credit Multimedia Content Editor Ron Stallcup.
Employment in the industries most directly related to tourism - accommodations, food services and arts, entertainment and recreation — alone represents more than 23,000 jobs, Pooley says.
“Tourism represents a major industry for the Pensacola area,” Pooley says. “Tourists bring dollars from outside of the community, benefiting many other industries, particularly hotels, motels, restaurants and drinking establishments.
“These dollars are used to pay local wages that are then used to purchase goods and services from other sectors of the economy,” Pooley says.
Tourist dollars also are a source of state and local revenues, both in retail sales tax and tourist development tax revenues, Pooley said.
Graphic credit Multimedia Content Editor Ron Stallcup.
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