Latest news with #VisitJacksonville
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Jacksonville city councilmembers want more inclusive tourism materials from Visit Jacksonville
Some Jacksonville City Council leaders are calling on Visit Jacksonville, the city's official tour guide agency, to be more inclusive in their selection of attractions. Councilman Jimmy Peluso had a meeting alongside Councilman Dr. Rahman Johnson and Councilwoman Ju'Coby Pittman to address what the members call gaps in historical and cultural sites featured in brochures. Visit Jacksonville CEO, Michael Corrigan, was in attendance. He said he always welcomes opportunities to talk about tourism in the city. 'Anytime you can get multiple elected officials to gather with you and talk about tourism - the good ... even some things that need help ... that's always good,' Corrigan said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Peluso, who represents parts of Northwest Jacksonville, said he'd like to see the inclusion of destinations like Edward Waters University, Florida's oldest historically black university, as well as James P. Small Park. 'We had Hank Aaron play in that field. That's something that people should want to do. We just want them to add more things to their brochure,' Peluso said. Johnson also drafted his list of recommendations for tourism materials. In the draft letter, the councilman mentions: The Ritz Theatre and Museum, a premier institution celebrating African American history in LaVilla and once known as the 'Harlem of the South,' is omitted from the 'Spots to Check Out' section despite its national cultural significance. Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing Park, located at the historic site of the Johnson brothers' family home, lacks clear visual and editorial prominence. This is the birthplace of the hymn known as the Black National Anthem—a song embedded in American history and reverence. The absence of Edward Waters University, Florida's oldest private institution and first HBCU, from the 'spots to check out' portion of the guide represents a significant cultural oversight. EWU is not only a center of academic excellence but also a historic institution instrumental in shaping Jacksonville's intellectual and civic landscape. The Clara White Mission, founded in 1904 by Dr. Eartha M.M. White, is similarly excluded. Located in the historic LaVilla neighborhood, the Mission houses a museum showcasing one of the country's foremost collections of African American artifacts and continues to serve the community with hot meals, transitional housing, and workforce development. Its cultural and humanitarian impact make it a vital site for heritage tourism. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Johnson also said the exclusion of the Jacksonville Public Library Special Collections and the absence of Latino and Filipino cultural narratives can be problematic for a city that wants to not only welcome tourism, but keep tourists coming back, too. That's why Johnson said he is pushing for more inclusive tourism materials. 'In doing so, Jacksonville moves closer to becoming not just a city worth visiting, but a city where every story finds a home,' he shared in his draft. Corrigan said the latest edition of the tourism brochure should come out around June or July. He said his team is excited to listen to their community and incorporate some of the council's feedback into the guides going forward. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Report: More than 8 million people visited Jacksonville in 2024, contributing billions of dollars
Visit Jacksonville, the city's official tourism marketing organization, released a final report on visitation to the city in fiscal year 2024. The Economic Impact and Tracking Report, conducted by Tallahassee-based Downs & St. Germain Research, surveyed over 2,700 visitors and focused on their economic impact and characteristics. The following data represents numbers from October 2023 through September 2024. Jacksonville saw nearly 8.2 million visitors and about $4.1 billion in visitor spending last year. Over half of visitors to the city came to visit friends and relatives and 80% planned to return. The largest markets for visitors to Jacksonville are the surrounding area, the Orlando area, New York, Atlanta and the Tampa area. 45% of last year's visitors stayed in hotels or other paid accommodations. In total, the report found that visitor spending generated nearly $7.4 billion in impact for Jacksonville's economy. Related: Florida hits another record year for tourism, but Jacksonville saw a slight dip in 2023 That spending supported around 57,000 jobs in the area and supported $2.8 billion in wages for local employees. Additionally, visitors contributed to local taxes, saving each Duval County household an estimated $540 in taxes for 2024, according to the report. The city hopes that with new attractions, including the in-progress Stadium of the Future and upcoming sports teams, that number will continue to grow. Read: 'Forget what made St. Augustine special:' Locals sounding alarm on plans to boost tourism year-round [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Back in Jax: ASUN moves conference basketball tournaments to VyStar Veterans Arena
March NCAA basketball will return to Jacksonville when the ASUN brings its men's and women's conference basketball tournaments to the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena beginning in 2026. The conference, which moved its headquarters from Atlanta to Jacksonville in September of 2024, announced the move on Wednesday. It's the first time the ASUN men and women have played at a neutral site since 2013, when both tournaments were in Macon, Ga., and it is the first time since an NCAA regional in 2019 that post-season college basketball will be at the VyStar Arena. The winner of the ASUN tournaments gets an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. 'The decision to move the tournaments to Jacksonville represents a significant milestone for the ASUN and underscores the city's growing reputation as a premier destination for major sporting events,' said ASUN commissioner Jeff Bacon in a statement. Bacon said a multi-year deal is in the works but he anticipates the two tournaments being in Jacksonville indefinitely and said in the statement, "Jacksonville's passion for sports, alongside its outstanding facilities and hospitality, will create an incredible experience for our student-athletes and fans.' Bacon told the Times-Union that the backing of the Jacksonville city government and business community was vital to deciding to move the tournaments to Duval. "It's part of the reason we came here [moving the ASUN headquarters to Jacksonville]," he said. "We feel confident that the city council, the mayor, and Visit Jacksonville are 100 percent committed to making this a successful tournament. We're still getting to know and learn the Jacksonville sports community but it's out there, a growing city in a growing county, with a lot of great sports fans." Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said in a statement that the city looked forward to hosting 24 teams and officials, parties and fans that may push the number of visitors into the thousands. 'I am proud that Jacksonville has been selected to host the ASUN Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments,' Deegan said in her statement 'We look forward to welcoming the many student-athletes, families, coaches, and fans to our city. The ASUN Tournaments are another shining example of Jacksonville's fast growth and why we're a fantastic place to visit. I am grateful for the significant economic impact that will be brought to our community, and to all those who worked so hard to bring it here.' Michael Corrigan, President and CEO of Visit Jacksonville, said the decision was another dose of good news from the ASUN, six months after the conference moved to the city. 'For the second time in as many years, we're ecstatic to be part of an announcement about the Atlantic Sun Conference moving something to Jacksonville,' Corrigan said in a statement. Jacksonville is the only city with two ASUN members, the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University. The rest of the ASUN members are Florida Gulf Coast (Fort Myers), Stetson (DeLand), Lipscomb (Nashville), Bellarmine (Louisville), North Alabama (Florence), Eastern Kentucky (Richmond, Ky.), Austin Peay (Clarksville, Tenn.) Central Arkansas (Conway), West Georgia (Carrollton) and Queens (Charlotte). Stetson is the oldest current member, while Jacksonville entered in 1998-99 and North Florida in 2005-06. West Georgia and Queens are the newest members. Past ASUN members have included Central Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and Mercer. Before the campus-site format, the ASUN frequently rotated its men's and women's tournaments at neutral sites. Depending on the conference membership at the time, the tournament was played in cities such as Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville, Charleston, S.C., Little Rock, Ark., Houston and Shreveport, La. Jacksonville hosted the 1999 and 2000 ASUN men's tournament, won both years by Samford over UCF in the championship game. Jacksonville has never hosted the ASUN women's tournament. Since 2014, the conference tournaments have been played on campus sites, with the four highest-seeded teams hosting games and the bracket re-seeded to ensure each additional game went to the home court of the higher-seeded team. And not every team made the tournament. The top 10 of the 12 teams qualified in the past two years. All 12 teams will play in the conference tournament starting next year, although options such as a double-bye for the top two seeds are under study. First-round games will be played at UNF Arena or JU's Swisher Gym. Teams also will utilize those arenas and JU's Basketball Performance Center for practice. The move met with enthusiastic approval by both the JU and UNF athletic directors. "Most of the country does neutral-site tournaments and I have been a proponent of that for a long time," said Alex Ricker-Gilbert of JU. "While there is something to be said for the atmosphere you can get from playing at campus sites, and our game [on Monday] against Eastern Kentucky is a great example, going to a neutral site at a place like the Vystar Arena creates more of a championship-type experience for the student-athletes." UNF athletic director Nick Morrow said bringing 24 teams with more than 300 players, plus staff, parents and boosters, will be another economic boost for the First Coast. "It's tremendous for the city of Jacksonville and with UNF and JU as member institutions and the ASUN headquarters here, it makes a lot of sense," Morrow said. "Jacksonville is a destination and to play downtown will be a great experience for the student-athletes and bring economic impact and national TV to the area." Ricker-Gilbert also pointed out that it will be easier for fans of all ASUN teams to travel. Under the current format, many fans didn't know the site of their first-round games until a few days before the start of the tournament. While the ASUN footprint contains large cities such as Jacksonville, Nashville and Louisville, it also has smaller towns such as Florence, Ala., Conway, Ark., and Clarksville, Tenn., where travel is difficult on short notice. "I think this is going to allow more fans a chance to travel to the tournament, because everyone's going to know right now, a year in advance, that it's going to be in Jacksonville," Ricker-Gilbert said. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: ASUN's basketball tournaments will be held in Jacksonville in 2026
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Coming up on This Week in the 904: How stadium renovations will affect Jacksonville tourism
The countdown has begun to the Stadium of the Future, but that means, at least for a season, the Jacksonville Jaguars won't be playing at home. Coming up Sunday on This Week in the 904, Action News Jax's Emily Turner talks to Brian Corrigan, the President and CEO of Visit Jacksonville, about what kind of a hit the city will take while the team is out of town. It's a big loss. Next year, EverBank Stadium will be at half capacity. It will be closed completely the year after that. Corrigan said that will affect more than just the Jags. 'They're not going to have the Florida-Georgia game. They're not going to have concerts. They're not going to have the Monster Truck Show visit,' he said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'Jacksonville estimates 125,000 room nights will be lost … so we reached out to the community. We're saying we need your help. We've launched a 'Bring It Home' campaign which says, you know, most of us leave the city to go to some conference or convention somewhere else. When have you ever invited that particular group to come to your hometown to bring it home to Jax and let us do something here.' Corrigan said there are incentives being offered for folks who do that, even a gathering as small as a family reunion. Turner talks more about that, about how Visit Jacksonville markets the town and all the other work they do. You can catch the full conversation on This Week in the 904 on Sunday morning. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Testament to the strength': 2024 Jacksonville tourism generated billions in economic impact
More than 8 million people visited Jacksonville in 2024, generating an estimated economic impact of $7.4 billion, according to a new Economic Impact and Tracking Report. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The report was commissioned by Visit Jacksonville and funded by the Duval County Tourist Development Council. 'These numbers are a testament to the strength of Jacksonville's tourism industry and its significant contribution to our local economy,' Michael Corrigan, President and CEO of Visit Jacksonville, said in a news release. 'We are proud to welcome millions of visitors each year who experience our vibrant city and support local businesses.' Overnight visitors--including those who stayed in hotels or with family/friends--accounted for $4.1 billion in direct spending. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The report conductors surveyed over 2,700 visitors and focused on their economic impact and characteristics. The following is a visitor profile generated by the survey results: Top 5 Origination Markets: Orlando-Daytona, New York City, Atlanta, Tampa-St. Pete, and Miami-Ft. Lauderdale Median Age: 41 Household Income: $76,000 Travel Party: 2.4 people Average Stay: 3.7 nights Daily Spend: $333 Total Trip Spend: $1,100 Return Visits: 80% of visitors plan to return Top 3 Visitor Activities: Dining out, visiting friends/family, beach You can read the full report here. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
