02-05-2025
Tourism Appreciation Month kicks off, TDC funding threats loom
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Bay County officials are excited about a number of events they have planned for Tourism Appreciation Month. However, they can't ignore the state legislative threats looming over the local destination marketing industry.
House bills 7033 and 1221 would force 75% of tourist development tax revenue to be used to implement local property tax cuts. That's the money the TDC uses to fund tourism promotion and marketing, and build and maintain tourism facilities.
It could even dissolve local tourist development councils.
'The TDC, we focus on how we continue to support tourism in bay county, I mean it's a 3.1-billion-dollar industry, and without destination marketing, the number of visitors who come to Panama City Beach every year and across Bay County would likely go down,' Bay County TDC executive director Dan Rowe said.
Not only do local marketing efforts increase tourism, but they also influence the demographics of visitors.
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Bay County's TDC helped PCB move away from the spring break reputation.
'Panama City Beach is a great place to go 12 months out of the year. We started this, you know, 15 years ago just to make sure that we were marketing it on a year-round basis, so we have less need for business, college spring break business, quite frankly, because the revenues were coming other times of the year,' Rowe said.
The TDC also helps fund major local events like Beach Home for the holidays, the New Year's Eve Beach Ball Drop, UNwineD, Mardi Gras, and more.
House members have already passed House Bills 7033 and 1221, which would require voters to renew bed taxes every eight years.
The Senate is still debating its two companion bills, 7034 and 1664.
Visit Panama City Beach is hosting tourism appreciation day next Wednesday at the county Panama City's event is Monday at 11:00 at the Panama City Marina. Both events are free and open to the public.
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