On the Rebound: Volusia tourism leaders celebrate 9.9 million visitors in 2021
DAYTONA BEACH — Volusia County attracted 9.9 million visitors in 2021, as the destination rebounded from a 7.2 million total in pandemic-plagued 2020, according to figures released by the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The news was announced at a celebration event to mark National Travel & Tourism Week on Wednesday at Hard Rock Hotel, where tourism officials and other local leaders praised the resiliency of the area’s leading industry.
“One thing stands out, 9.9 million visitors to Volusia County,” Bob Davis, president and CEO of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County, told the audience in the hotel’s Avalon Ballroom. “It’s the people here, on this podium, who rolled up their sleeves, put on fresh underwear and went to work. And it’s amazing that they did what they did.”
The 9.9 million total, based on data from Mid-Florida Marketing & Research, also is slightly higher than the 9.8 million visitors that traveled to the destination in pre-COVID 2019.
However, it doesn’t match the record 10.2 million visitors in 2018 or the just over 10 million visitors tallied in 2017.
Looking back at a record: Volusia hosts a record 10.2M tourists in 2018
A look at 2020: In pandemic, Volusia hosts 7.2 million tourists in 2020, down 28% from 2019
The 7.2 million visitors in 2020 was the destination's lowest total in a decade, according to Evelyn Fine of Mid-Florida Marketing & Research.
Statewide, Florida welcomed about 122.3 million visitors in 2021, according to Visit Florida. That’s less than the pre-COVID 2019 total of just over 131 million, but a 54% increase over 2020.
Volusia’s performance was cause for celebration at Wednesday’s event, with a program that included updates from representatives of the area’s three tourism advertising authorities, Daytona Beach International Airport, the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce and the county-run Ocean Center convention complex, as well as Frank Kelleher, president of Daytona International Speedway.
Volusia County Council member Barbara Girtman offered a proclamation to declare the week of May 1-7 as “Tourism & Travel Week” in Volusia County.
“Let’s celebrate,” Girtman said. “Let’s recognize the hard work and accomplishments.”
Local leaders celebrate tourism's impact
Girtman was among a handful of elected officials that attended the event that also included Volusia County Council member Danny Robins, Daytona Beach City Commissioner Ken Strickland and Volusia County School Board member Carl Persis.
Throughout the program, tourism leaders expanded on figures from Mid-Florida Marketing & Research that demonstrated the industry’s economic impact over the past year: $5.5 billion in total visitor spending, with more than 85% going to local businesses other than hotels; 52,700 jobs generated, with a payroll exceeding $700 million; as well as 40% of local sales tax paid by visitors.
Lori Campbell Baker, executive director of the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, praised an assortment of “ambassadors” who spread the word about all that the destination offers.
The list included Charlene Greer, executive director and chairwoman of Jeep Beach, the annual gathering that last week drew some 200,000 Jeep loyalists and 20,000 vehicles to Daytona Beach.
Jeep Beach: Jeep Beach 2022 takes the party to Hard Rock Hotel in Daytona Beach
Baker also offered a shout-out to Bill Boggs, senior vice president of the National Cheerleaders Association. That organization has hosted its annual cheer and dance competitions in Daytona Beach for more than 25 years.
Boggs, in attendance on Wednesday, responded that the destination is synonymous with the event.
“I cannot describe what Daytona Beach has meant to our competition, to our customers, to our industry,” Boggs said. “It’s the single most recognized event in our industry.”
Go team! College cheerleaders return to Daytona Beach for milestone 25th year
Looking ahead, a preview of upcoming events at Daytona International Speedway was presented by Kelleher, who stepped into his role as Speedway president a little over a year ago.
That slate includes the return of the mammoth Welcome to Rockville music festival May 19-22 in the Speedway infield. The event, which offered a big boost to hoteliers in its 2021 Daytona debut, will feature headliners KISS, Korn, Guns N’ Roses and Nine Inch Nails, among a lineup of nearly 90 heavy-metal bands on stage over four days.
Ready to rock? Welcome to Rockville: What to know before you go to Daytona Beach rock music festival
More: Could Daytona International Speedway double as a soccer venue? We'll find out this summer
Also, the Speedway will welcome the inaugural Daytona Soccer Fest over the July 4th weekend, part of the goal of bringing a variety of world-class events to the track that extends beyond racing, he said.
“We’re excited about that,” he said.
Through the first six months of the 2020-21 fiscal year, overall tourism bed-tax collections are up 50.8% compared with the same period a year ago, according to the Volusia County Revenue Division. That $16.2 million figure also represents a 50.5% increase over the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
That reflects resilience in the face of an unprecedented global pandemic, said Evelyn Fine, president of Mid-Florida Marketing & Research.
“We’ve seen that before, not quite so dramatically,” she said. “We’ve never had a two-year pandemic before. But we’ve seen it with things such as the gas crisis. Daytona Beach has come back.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach attracted 9.9 visitors in 2021, ahead of pre-COVID 2019
