Destin Is Focused On Building A Better Shoulder Season
County officials, businesses work to attract new tourists
By By Kari C. Barlow and Jennie McKeon, Northwest Florida Daily News, February 28, 2015
In another week or two, roadside billboards promoting the beaches of Okaloosa Island and Destin will blanket the town of Macon, Georgia.
They’ll appear just in time for Macon’s 2015 International Cherry Blossom Festival.
“The attendance for that is more than half a million,” said Shantelle Dedicke, a marketing manager with the Emerald Coast Convention Center. “We’re hoping to drive some of that down here.”
She expects the full-color images will easily get the job done.
“They’re showing our big, beautiful emerald green water and our gorgeous sand,” she said. “It’s that, ‘If you’re tired of winter, come down here!’ ”
The billboard campaign is one of the Tourist Development Department’s newest tools in boosting visitation during the spring and fall.
For decades, this time of the year – shoulder season, as it’s called in hospitality circles – has been a two-edged sword for Okaloosa County.
On one hand, locals get a break from the tourists. Beaches are quiet and empty. Traffic between Fort Walton Beach and Destin flows at a nice, steady pace, and the lines at popular restaurants don’t seem all that long.
On the other hand, business is down.
That means everything from restaurants and gas stations to condo rentals and T-shirt shops are pumping less money into the local economy.
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Dedicke said. “We definitely don’t want our destination to shut down during the shoulder season.”
Spring visitors
Though they’re not coming in droves, tourists do visit in the spring.
According to the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development, for the past three years, 23 to 25 percent of Okaloosa’s total bed tax revenues were generated during the March-April-May timeframe. In 2014, Okaloosa Island and Destin saw more than 200,000 visitors during those same three months.
The key is making it clear to people across the country that the area is a year-round destination, said Toni Richardson, director of sales and marketing for the Best Western hotel on Okaloosa Island.
With traveling sports teams and corporate groups from as far away as Illinois already booked for the spring, Richardson is optimistic about the season.
“It’s never too early to start advertising,” she said. “With the bad weather right now in the Northeast and Midwest, people are like, ‘I’m ready to get out!’ The bad weather truly does inspire people to start planning vacations early.”
New kind of tourist
Another way tourism officials maximize the shoulder seasons is promoting the wide range of activities available across Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Okaloosa Island.
“We turned our destination into a verb,” Dedicke said of Okaloosa’s new EmeraldCoasting hashtag. “We feel like #EmeraldCoasting is everything – kayaking, paddle boarding, sailing, boating, fishing, shopping and going to restaurants.”
Martin Owen of Resort Quest sees that campaign as an effective way to attract new kinds of tourists.
“Millennials love food tourism,” he said. “Millennials are all over that. There’s what we call the zoomers. They’re baby boomers with zip… They’re spending their children’s inheritance, and they travel.”
These young, old and in-between visitors have an interest in eco-tourism, cuisine tourism and cultural tourism, Owen said.
“It’s all out there,” he said. “We have some of the best restaurants in the U.S. here.
“They don’t come in such great numbers but they tend to spend more money and stay longer,” he said. “And that’s just the sort of tourist we want.”
Locals speak out
The Daily News asked folks on Facebook what they like and don’t like about the shoulder season. Here’s what they had to say:
“Less traffic, less congestion in all venues, peacefulness at the beach, and low humidity.” — Jennifer Moreno
“The part I like best is that summer is coming!” — Chris Driscoll Ames
“I love the winter down here for less traffic, easy access to the beach, the winter guest clientele, but miss the warmth of summer.” — Christi Pennington
“I like everything about this time of year. I do not like sitting in my car for one hour just to drive to Destin from Fort Walton Beach. I feel like a lot of the younger tourists are really out of control and it is really annoying.” —Justin Lou Gristina
“Reasonable travel times, restaurants are more peaceful, no tourists, fewer folks darting through traffic to cross 98.” —Larraine Hebb
“I love this time of year because it’s so nice and peaceful and I actually get to enjoy the gorgeous beauty of it all!”—Leah Griner
“How quiet it is at the beach.”— Cathy Cross
“Less boat traffic. You can notice the natural currents of the water easier.” — Bull Creek Cane
“Enjoying tranquil beautiful walks on Henderson Beach.”—Lori Jenkins
5 ways to get the most out of the coast…before the visitors come
The shoulder season means one thing for locals — use it or lose it.
Before summer hits, now is the time to enjoy the Emerald Coast while the there’s still plenty of parking available.
Here are a few ideas.
1. Take full advantage of the beaches
Navarre, Okaloosa Island and all the communities on 30A — try to check out all of them. Before you know it, they’ll be packed and you’ll have to get your Vitamin D by sticking your head of the window while you’re stuck in traffic.
2. Go out to dinner
Even some of the area’s best kept secrets will be occupied by the 200,000 expected visitors to Okaloosa Island and Destin. So head out to all of your favorite restaurants and enjoy all the seafood you can eat without long waits, because tourists are going to want some too (and who can blame them?).
3. Dare to cross the bridges
Locals tend to avoid crossing the Destin or Brooks bridges for fear of not making it back. (And some commuting workers don’t have a choice). While the traffic is still relatively normal, venture across the bridges and do a little exploring before you’re stuck.
4. Head to special events
Any reason is a good reason to celebrate on the coast, like the 2nd Annual Tequila and Taco Fest at HarborWalk on March 7. Along with St. Patrick’s Day and Easter events, you should also mark your calendars for the 29th Annual Sandestin Wine Festival, April 16-19 and the Finest on the Emerald Coast on April 9.
5. Shop till they drop (in)
If you need to buy summer gear, don’t wait. Beat the crowds to the Silver Sands Premium Outlets or Destin Commons and grab your bathing suits, tank tops and flip flops. When the rain comes (and it will) you won’t be able to find an empty store for miles.
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