Visit Panama City Beach and the Bay County Tourist Development Council announce an increase in tourism development tax collections for Panama City Beach during October 2016. Collections were up 25.77 percent for the month of October compared to the previous year, at $1.4 million, indicating a record number of monthly visitors.
“October is the start of our fiscal calendar and I congratulate the entire Bay County tourism community on these outstanding results to kick off the new year,” shares Visit Panama City Beach President and CEO Dan Rowe. “Traditionally a shoulder-season month, great weather and creative event programming including the Pirates of the High Seas Fest led to a record-breaking month.”
While already on pace for a record-breaking October, Panama City Beach also welcomed many visitors and residents from areas displaced by Hurricane Matthew evacuation orders during the October 7thweekend.
Visit Panama City Beach is currently in the heart of the Beach Home for the Holidays promotion encouraging families to spend the festive season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s in the destination. Free musical entertainment, bonfires with s’mores and hot chocolate, and culminating with the annual Beach Ball Drop at 8pm and midnight are among the highlights.
The Tourist Development Tax is a five percent bed tax that is collected from a special taxing jurisdiction within Bay County on short-term vacation rentals including hotels and condominiums. It is the most accurate gauge to estimate destination visitation numbers. The tax funds the marketing and promotional activities performed by the Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. It is also used for beach cleaning and grooming, product improvement and beach renourishment.
For more information on Panama City Beach visit www.visitpanamacitybeach.com
