Volusia tourism leaders celebrate 10.1 million visitors in destination 'reset' year
DAYTONA BEACH ― Volusia County attracted 10.1 visitors in 2023, down from a record 10.6 million in 2022, according to figures from 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.
Area tourism officials and other local leaders praised the strength of the area’s leading industry as they also acknowledged increasing competition for travelers as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues fade into the past tense.
“That number reflects what we have been calling a ‘reset’ year, so we’re actually very pleased,” said Lori Campbell Baker, executive director of the Daytona Beach Area CVB. “The world has reopened. International travel is booming.”
Volusia's 2023 visitor total surpassed pre-pandemic 2019
As Florida emerged as one of the first states to re-open for tourists in the wake of pandemic-era restrictions, Volusia County’s record-setting 10.6 million visitor total in 2022 was the destination’s highest annual count since logging 10.2 million in 2018.
Although the 2023 visitor total failed to match that record high, Baker pointed out that it was better than the pre-COVID 2019 total of the 9.8 million.
“As always, we’re working to bring that total up,” she said. “Everything we do is geared toward attracting overnight visitors.”
In addition to a decline in visitors, Volusia County’s tourist development tax collections for the fiscal year that concluded on Sept. 30 finished 3.51% below the year-end total for 2021-22, according to figures from the Volusia County Revenue Division.
For the previous fiscal year that concluded on Sept. 30, 2022, record-high overall tourism bed-tax collections of $33.7 million countywide were more than 20% higher than the previous year, which also set a record.
The county collects a 6% tourism tax on hotels and lodges with half of the revenues going to fund the county-run Ocean Center convention complex in Daytona Beach. The other half goes to the county’s three tourism ad authorities to market their respective areas — the Daytona Beach/Halifax area, Southeast Volusia and West Volusia — as tourist and special event destinations.
Tourism trend also evident in statewide visitor total
The trend in Volusia County also is evident in statewide numbers.
In 2023, Florida welcomed an estimated 135 million tourists according to the Visit Florida tourism marketing agency. That's down from 137.4 million the year before, but up from 131.1 million in 2019, the last full year of data before the pandemic.
At Wednesday’s event, the contributions of the area’s tourism industry were heralded by host Bob Davis, president and CEO of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County.
After nearly 60 years as a hotelier and tourism leader, Davis emphasized that connection among hotel owners, managers, small businesses, elected officials and educators was essential for success.
“It takes all of us together, working to make Volusia the No. 1 county in Florida,” Davis said. “We’re all in this together. We all have a part to play.”
That theme was echoed in presentations by leaders of the county’s three tourism advertising authorities representing the Halifax area, West Volusia and Southeast Volusia.
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There also were updates from Cyrus Callum, director of aviation and economic resources at Daytona Beach International Airport, Ocean Center Director Lynn Flanders and Volusia County Manager George Recktenwald.
Recktenwald offered thanks to county staff members and area businesses for contributing to the recovery from beach damage sustained during back-to-back tropical storms Ian and Nicole in fall 2022.
“The last 18 months touched us like never before,” said Recktenwald, adding that the future still holds the prospect of “significant investment” to ensure the condition of the area’s beaches. Yet he, too, was optimistic.
“The businesses, the hotels and the county’s environmental staff have acted swiftly to repair the damages,” he said. “Things are looking positive.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia tourism visitor total tops 10 million in reset year
