visit south walton · beautiful beaches (61%) great place to visit (32%) relaxing (32%)...
TRANSCRIPT
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VISIT SOUTH WALTON
Phillip Downs, Ph.DJoseph St. Germain, Ph.DRachael AnglinIsiah LewisGlencora Haskins
Visitor Tracking StudySpring 2019
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TABLE OF CONTENTSStudy objectives & methodology 3
Executive summary 5Visitor’s journey 6
Economic impact 7Pre-visit 10Travel party profile 20Trip experience 26Post trip evaluation 32
Yearly comparisons 37
Detailed findings 42Pre-visit 43Travel party profile 55Trip experience 60Post trip evaluation 67Economic impact 73
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STUDY OBJECTIVES: MAP THE VISITOR JOURNEY
3
Pre-VisitTravel Party
ProfileTrip Experience
Post-Trip Evaluation
Economic Impact on
Destination
▪ Party size▪ Party composition▪ Demographics
▪ Accommodations▪ Length of stay▪ Number of times in
destination▪ Activities in
destination▪ Visitor Spending
▪ Number of visitors▪ Expenditures▪ Economic impact▪ Room nights
generated▪ Occupancy, ADR,
RevPAR
▪ Visitor origin▪ Planning cycle▪ Planning sources▪ Visitor Guide usage▪ Other destinations
considered▪ Trip influencers▪ Reasons for visiting▪ Exposure to
promotions▪ Booking▪ Mode of
transportation
▪ Likelihood of recommending
▪ Likelihood of returning
▪ Evaluation of destination attributes
▪ Painting a picture for others
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METHODOLOGY
4
*Interviews are with out-of-county guests who stay at properties/vacation rentals at beach communities across South Walton, and at various locations along the beaches. It should be noted that 285 interviews were conducted via face-to-face interviews along the beach and in public areas. This is a higher number than in Spring 2018.
Visitor Tracking StudyVisitor tracking is completed through the use of internet surveys and in-person interviewing in public areas in South Walton, including beaches, towns and events.
Data CollectionQuarterly visitor tracking is performed in South Walton to render visitor profiles. This report is based on Spring visitors who traveled to South Walton between March and May 2019.
Tracking data is derived from the analysis of 723 completed surveys of visitors to South Walton.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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VISITOR JOURNEY: ECONOMIC IMPACT
6
Pre-VisitTravel Party
ProfileTrip Experience
Post-Trip Evaluation
Economic Impact on
Destination
This report is organized along the visitor’s journey as shown below.
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VISITOR JOURNEY: ECONOMIC IMPACT
7
Pre-VisitTravel Party
ProfileTrip
ExperiencePost-Trip
EvaluationEconomic Impact
on Destination
We start at the end, that is, the economic impact of the visitor’s journey.
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ECONOMIC IMPACT – SPRING 2018 VS. 2019
Property Statistics
Spring 2018 Spring 2019 % Change
Room nights 703,790 741,800 +5.4%
Total visitors 1,026,100 1,110,343 +8.2%
TDT collections $6,287,112 $7,115,181 +13.2%
Direct spending $820,519,200 $900,109,600 +9.7%
Economic impact $1,214,368,400 $1,332,162,190 +9.7%
Occupancy 61.0% 61.1% +0.2%
Room rates $302.19 $304.42 +0.7%
RevPAR $184.34 $186.00 +0.9%
8
Data sources: Walton County government, properties in South Walton that rent to visitors, Key Data, and visitor surveys by Downs & St. Germain Research.
An increase in active units from 12,996 in Spring 2018 to 13,675 in Spring 2019 (+5.2%), coupled with increases in occupancy and ADR led to an increase in TDT of 13.2%.
Numbers of visitors were up 8.2%, which resulted in direct spending being up 9.7%.
With occupancy and room rates up modestly, RevPAR was up 0.9% despite the inventory increase.
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ECONOMIC IMPACT - LODGING STATISTICS
Occupancy ADR RevPAR
2.8% 0.7% 0.1%
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VISITOR JOURNEY: PRE-VISIT
10
Pre-Visit Travel Party Profile
Trip Experience
Post-Trip Evaluation
Economic Impact on
Destination
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ORIGIN OF SPRING VISITORS
11
2% of visitors were from areas outside the U.S.
58%
21%3%
3%
13%
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ORIGIN OF SPRING VISITORS
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Atlanta
Pensacola – Mobile
Nashville
Birmingham
Panama City – Destin
Dallas – Ft. Worth
New Orleans
11%
6%
6%
5%
5%
5%
3%
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» 4 in 10 visitors plan a Spring South Walton vacation at least 4 months in advance
» 1 in 10 considered vacationing at a beach outside of South Walton
PLANNING CYCLE
13
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Friends, family
Search enginesWebsite for 1 of the 16 beach neighborhoods
Travel websites Online travel reviews/blogs
TRIP PLANNING SOURCES*
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*Multiple responses permitted.
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» 18% of visitors viewed the South Walton Visitors Guide before going to South Walton
110 = Extremely useful; 1 = Not at all useful
SOUTH WALTON VISITOR GUIDE
15
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TOP REASONS FOR VISIT*
16
Family vacation (60%) Relax and unwind (57%) Annual routine (24%) Special occasion (16%)
*Multiple responses permitted
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» 32% of visitors have recently seen, read or heard promotions about South Walton
SOUTH WALTON PROMOTIONS
17
Magazine articleSocial media
Online article Television
Magazine Ad
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TOP BOOKING SOURCES
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Vacation Rental Company (54%)
Hotel/condo (32%)
VRBO, Homeaway(11%)
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VISITOR TRANSPORTATION
19
52%Northwest Florida Beaches
International Airport
32%Destin-Ft. Walton Beach
Airport
8%Pensacola International
Airport
» 83% of visitors drove to South Walton
» 17% who flew used the following airports:
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VISITOR JOURNEY: TRAVEL PARTY PROFILE
20
Pre-VisitTravel Party
ProfileTrip
ExperiencePost-Trip
Evaluation
Economic Impact on
Destination
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TRAVEL PARTY SIZE AND COMPOSITION
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The typical visitor traveled in a party composed of 5.4
people
49% traveled with at least one person under the age of 20 in
their travel party
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» The typical South Walton Spring visitor:
» 53 years old
» Female (58%)
» Median household income of $167,500
» From the Southeast (71%)
SPRING VISITOR PROFILE
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VISITOR PROFILE: TYPICAL VACATIONER1
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→The typical Vacationer1 Visitor:
→Is 51 years old
→Has a median household income of
$184,900
→Is female (60%)
→57% travel with children
→77% drove
→Is from:
→Southeast (76%)
→Midwest (16%)
1Travel parties who stayed 1-10 nights.
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VISITOR PROFILE: TYPICAL LONG-TERM1 VISITOR
24
→The typical Long-Term1 Visitor:
→Is 69 years old
→Has a median household income of
$127,700
→Is male (52%)
→81% did not travel with children
→88% drove
→Is from:
→Midwest (38%)
→Southeast (37%)
→ International (17%)1Travel parties who stayed more than 10 nights.
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VISITOR PROFILE: TYPICAL DAY TRIPPER
25
» The typical Day Trip Visitor:
» Is 43 years old
» Has a median household income of $137,500
» Is female (55%)
» 39% traveled with with children
» 99% drove to the area
» Is from:
» Florida (79%)
» Southeast – not including FL (17%)
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VISITOR JOURNEY: TRIP EXPERIENCE
26
Pre-VisitTravel Party
Profile Trip Experience Post-Trip Evaluation
Economic Impact on
Destination
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ACCOMMODATIONS
27
74% Condos, rental houses, etc.
8% Personal condo
10% Hotels
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TOP VISITOR ACTIVITIES*
28
Beach (95%)Restaurants (95%) Relax and unwind (88%)
Family time, reading, cooking (78%) Shopping, antiquing (72%) Biking, running (45%)
*Multiple responses permitted.
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LENGTH OF STAY
29
» Visitors spent 6.0*nights in South Walton
*Visitors who stayed 30 or fewer nights. When considering all visitors, average nights stayed was 7.
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FIRST TIME AND EXPERIENCED VISITORS
30
» 15% were first-time visitors
» 42% had visited more than 10 times
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» Visitors spent $966 a day
» Visitors spent $5,796 on their trip
VISITOR EXPENDITURES*
31
*Visitors staying in paid accommodations.
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VISITOR JOURNEY: POST TRIP EVALUATION
32
Pre-VisitTravel Party
ProfileTrip
ExperiencePost-Trip
Evaluation
Economic Impact on
Destination
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VISITOR SATISFACTION
33
» Visitors gave South Walton a rating of 9.21 as a place to vacation
» 96% will return to South Walton2
110 = Excellent; 1 = Poor2About 3% of visitors will probably not return to South Walton because of the following reasons: 1. Too expensive, 2. too crowded, 3. too many families
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VACATION ATTRIBUTE IMPORTANCE VS. RATINGS
34
Pleasant place to unwind
Place you feel comfortable
Scenic beauty
Sugary white sand & blue waters
Customer service
Good place for family vacation
Value for your travel dollar
Returning to familiar places & traditions
Place that’s different and unique
Variety of architecture, scenery, etc.
Activities other than the beach
Cultural events & festivals
9.3
9.3
9.0
9.0
8.7
8.7
8.3
7.5
6.7
6.5
6.3
4.6
9.3
9.2
9.3
9.4
8.5
9.1
7.5
8.5
7.6
7.6
7.1
6.1
Importance1 South Walton Ratings2
1Rated on a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is very important and 1 is not at all important.
2Rated on a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is excellent and 1 is poor.
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VISITOR DESCRIPTIONS OF SOUTH WALTON
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Beautiful beaches (61%) Great place to visit (32%) Relaxing (32%)
“Beautiful area with white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, friendly people, lots of marine life, and lots of entertainment.”
“Magical. The people are so friendly. Just a very unique, relaxing, fun place to visit. There's something for everyone.”
“It is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy friends and family. There are parts of it that evoke "Old Florida" and a slower pace of life.”
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EMOTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH SOUTH WALTON*
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*Coded verbatim responses; multiple responses permitted.
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YEARLY COMPARISONS
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VISITOR PROFILE – SPRING 2018 VS. 2019
Visitor Metrics¹ Spring 2018 Spring 2019
Travel party 5.5 5.4
Kids <20 55% 49%
Median age 59 53
Estimated median household income $164,700 $167,500
Stayed in condo/rental house 78% 74%
Drove 85% 83%
Nights spent 6.1 6.0
Direct expenditures (travel party for entire trip) $5,338 $5,796
1st time visitor 17% 15%
10+ visits to South Walton 38% 42%
38
1 Visitors who stayed in paid accommodations for up to 30 nights.
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VISITOR PROFILE – SPRING 2018 VS. 2019
39
Top Origin States Spring 2018 Spring 2019
Georgia 14% 14%
Alabama 11% 12%
Tennessee 11% 10%
Texas 10% 9%
Florida 6% 9%
Origins - Regions Spring 2018 Spring 2019
Southeast 66% 71%
Northeast 4% 3%
Midwest 26% 21%
West 1% 3%
International 3% 2%
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VISITOR PROFILE – SPRING 2018 VS. 2019
Top Visitor Activities Spring 2018 Spring 2019
Beach 95% 95%
Restaurants 95% 95%
Relax and unwind 89% 88%
Family time, reading, cooking 80% 78%
Shopping, antiquing 73% 72%
Biking, running, etc. 50% 45%
Bars, nightclubs 27% 25%
Water sports 26% 23%
Hiking, nature walks, eco tours 19% 19%
Attractions 20% 19%
State parks 17% 17%
Special events 13% 16%
Golf, tennis, etc. 15% 15%
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VISITOR PROFILE – SPRING 2018 VS. 2019
Visitor Metrics Spring 2018 Spring 2019
Will return to South Walton 97% 96%
Rating for overall experience1 9.3 9.21
Viewed Visitors Guide 19% 18%2
Planned trip 4 – 6+ months out (50%) 4 – 6+ months out (44%)
Used VisitSouthWalton.com 16% 18%
Used 1 of 16 beaches’ websites 28% 32%
41
110-point scale with 10=Excellent & 1=Poor.216% used the online version & 2% used the print version.
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DETAILED FINDINGS
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VISITOR JOURNEY: PRE-VISIT
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Pre-Visit Travel Party Profile
Trip Experience
Post-Trip Evaluation
Economic Impact on
Destination
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ORIGIN OF SPRING VISITORS
Top Origin Markets % of Visitors
Atlanta 11%
Pensacola-Mobile 6%
Nashville 6%
Birmingham 5%
Panama City - Destin 5%
Dallas-Ft. Worth 5%
New Orleans 3%
Chicago 2%
St. Louis1 2%
Memphis 2%
Houston 2%
Indianapolis 2%
Cincinnati 2%
Louisville 2%
44
71%
3%
3%
21%
2%
Southeast
Northeast
West
Midwest
International
1The metro area of St. Louis includes some parts of Missouri and Illinois.
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ORIGIN OF SPRING VISITORS
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State Percentage of Visitors
Georgia 14%
Alabama 12%
Tennessee 10%
Texas 9%
Florida 9%
Louisiana 6%
Mississippi 4%
Indiana 3%
Missouri 3%
Kentucky 3%
Ohio 3%
Illinois 3%
Arkansas 3%
of spring visitors came from 13 states
82%
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PLANNING CYCLE
46
7%
14%
14%
20%
18%
26%
A week or two
A month or so
2 months
3 months
4 to 5 months
6 months or more
Over 4 in 10 visitors plan a Spring South Walton vacation at least 4 months out.
Relatively few visitors to South Walton have a short (a month or less) planning cycle.
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52%40%
32%25%
22%21%
18%11%10%
7%4%
2%2%2%1%1%
17%
Friends, familySearch sites
Website for 1 of 16 beachesTravel websites
Online travel reviewsHotel website
VisitSouthWalton.comBrochures
Airline websitesFacebook
South Walton's social mediaTravel agent
AAATravel magazines
TelevisionNewspaper
None
PLANNING SOURCES1
1Multiple responses permitted.
47
Over half of visitors use friends and family to help plan their trip to South Walton.
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SOUTH WALTON VISITOR GUIDE
48
1Rated on a 10 point scale where 10 is extremely useful and 1 is not at all useful.
18% of visitors viewed a South Walton Visitors Guide before going to South Walton.
Visitors Guide received a rating of 7.5 out of 101.
2%
16%
Print version Online version
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OTHER DESTINATIONS CONSIDERED
49
56%
35%
7%
2%
Only considered 1 of theSouth Walton beaches
Considered another 1 ofthe 16 South Walton
beaches
Considered vacationingoutside of South Walton,
but in FL
Considered vacationing ata beach outside of FL
Only 1 in 10 visitors considered vacationing at a beach outside of South Walton.
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IMPORTANT VACATION DESTINATION ATTRIBUTES1
50
9.3
9.3
9.0
9.0
8.7
8.7
8.3
7.5
6.7
6.5
6.3
4.6
Place you feel comfortable
Pleasant place to unwind
Sugary white sand and turquoise blue waters
Scenic beauty
Good place for family vacation
Customer service
Value for your travel dollar
Returning to familiar places, people, and traditions
Place that’s different and unique
Variety of architecture, scenery, etc.
Activities other than the beach
Cultural events & festivals1Rated on a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is very important and 1 is not at all important.
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REASONS FOR VISITING1
60%
57%
24%
16%
2%
1%
1%
7%
Family vacation
Relax and unwind
Annual routine
Special occasion
Business
Conference/meeting
Special event
Other1Multiple responses permitted.
51
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SOUTH WALTON PROMOTIONS1
1Multiple responses permitted.
52
22%21%20%20%20%19%
16%14%14%
8%8%
5%4%3%3%2%2%1%
10%
Magazine adMagazine article
Social mediaOnline article
TelevisionSouth Walton's social media
Ad on a websiteRental Agency
VisitSouthWalton.comTravel guideTravel blogs
BrochureRadio
AAAWeather app
BillboardNewspaper
Hulu/YouTube/PandoraOther
32% of Spring visitors have recently seen, read or heard advertising, promotions or travel stories about South Walton.
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BOOKING ACCOMMODATIONS
53
54%
32%
11%
1%
1%
1%
Vacation rental company
Hotel/condo
VRBO, Homeaway
Online travel agency
Airbnb
Other
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VISITOR TRANSPORTATION
54
52%
32%
8%
8%
Northwest Florida BeachesInternational Airport
Destin-Ft. Walton BeachAirport
Pensacola
Other
83% of Spring visitors drove to South Walton.
31% of those who drove were aware that there were direct flights from their city to the South Walton area.
17% who flew used the following airports:
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VISITOR JOURNEY: TRAVEL PARTY PROFILE
55
Pre-VisitTravel Party
ProfileTrip
ExperiencePost-Trip
Evaluation
Economic Impact on
Destination
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TRAVEL PARTY SIZE AND COMPOSITION
1Multiple responses permitted.
56
4%
37%
12%
16%
10%
21%
Solo traveler
2 people
3 people
4 people
5 people
6+ people
Visitors traveled in a party composed of 5.4 people.
49% of visitors traveled with children under the age of 18.
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10%
33%
42%
15%
Under 35
35 to 49
50 to 65
Over 65
AGE OF SPRING VISITORS
57
Median age of Spring visitors was 53 years old.
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4%
16%
23%
20%
17%
10%
10%
Less than $50,000
$50,000 to $99,999
$100,000 to $149,999
$150,000 to $199,999
$200,000 to $299,999
$300,000 to $499,999
$500,000+
TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN 2018
58
Spring visitors had a median household income of $167,500.
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58%
42%
Female Male
GENDER
59
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VISITOR JOURNEY: TRIP EXPERIENCE
60
Pre-VisitTravel Party
Profile Trip Experience Post-Trip Evaluation
Economic Impact on
Destination
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61
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63
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² $2,196
$1,686
$300
$900
$366
$216
$132
$5,796
65
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VACATION ATTRIBUTE IMPORTANCE VS. RATINGS
69
Pleasant place to unwind
Place you feel comfortable
Scenic beauty
Sugary white sand & blue waters
Customer service
Good place for family vacation
Value for your travel dollar
Returning to familiar places & traditions
Place that’s different and unique
Variety of architecture, scenery, etc.
Activities other than the beach
Cultural events & festivals
9.3
9.3
9.0
9.0
8.7
8.7
8.3
7.5
6.7
6.5
6.3
4.6
9.3
9.2
9.3
9.4
8.5
9.1
7.5
8.5
7.6
7.6
7.1
6.1
Importance1 South Walton Ratings2
1Rated on a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is very important and 1 is not at all important.
2Rated on a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is excellent and 1 is poor.
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ECONOMIC IMPACT – SPRING 2018 VS. 2019
Property Statistics
Spring 2018 Spring 2019 % Change
Room nights 703,790 741,800 +5.4%
Total visitors 1,026,100 1,110,343 +8.2%
TDT collections $6,287,112 $7,115,181 +13.2%
Direct spending $820,519,200 $900,109,600 +9.7%
Economic impact $1,214,368,400 $1,332,162,190 +9.7%
Occupancy 61.0% 61.1% +0.2%
Room rates $302.19 $304.42 +0.7%
RevPAR $184.34 $186.00 +0.9%
73
Data sources: Walton County government, properties in South Walton that rent to visitors, Key Data, and visitor surveys by Downs & St. Germain Research.
An increase in active units from 12,996 in Spring 2018 to 13,675 in Spring 2019 (+5.2%), coupled with increases in occupancy and ADR led to an increase in TDT of 13.2%.
Numbers of visitors were up 8.2%, which resulted in direct spending being up 9.7%.
With occupancy and room rates up modestly, RevPAR was up 0.9% despite the inventory increase.
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V I S I T
SOUTH WALTON
downs & st. germain
R E S E A R C H