Explanation of Indicator
The coastal regions of the United States are among the most attractive
places to visit. Indeed, during the peak vacation months the populations
of coastal areas can increase significantly.1
Florida is no exception to this trend. Each year thousands of
people come to the state to spend their vacation in a warm climate. Many of these visitors will visit the coastal areas of the state, making the counties in these areas among Florida's most popular destinations.
During their stay, tourists seek housing, food, and entertainment; thus, beach houses, motels, hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, condominiums, gas stations, retail stores, piers, docks, and golf courses must be provided. As a result, tourists have a substantial impact on Florida's economy. This impact has not gone unnoticed by the state, which invests several million dollars in its coasts each year to entice tourists.
The number of tourists visiting the coastal areas is a good indication of how attractive the coast is to visitors. The more appealing the coast, the more that tourists will visit the area and patronize local businesses. Accordingly, the number of tourist visits provides an important indication of the economic health of coastal areas which rely so heavily on the demand for tourist goods and services. This information is helpful to the state in its decision on how much money should be spent each year to improve the coastal areas to entice visitors.
Data Characteristics
SOURCE
Information about the number of tourist visits to the state may be obtained from Berry Pitegoff at the Florida Department of Commerce, Office of Tourism Research, 107 West Gaines Street, Room 324, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2000, or at (904) 488-4952.
ACQUISITION
These summary data are available as state totals in hard copy format at no cost.
COLLECTION
The information is collected annually, statewide.
Data Limitations
The data are of limited use because collection is done only on a statewide or regional basis. The method of obtaining data is limited to regional or statewide collection because if the numbers were collected at the municipal or county level, the number
of tourists totaled from these areas would exceed the total number of tourists who visit the state. This inaccuracy would occur because most tourists visit more than one area when they come to Florida, and many would be double-counted when they went from
one Florida vacation destination to another.
Recommendations
The data are helpful for statewide and regional purposes; however, in current form, the data do not explain which coastal counties are visited and therefore should have more funding to maintain or improve their beaches. For this reason, it is crucial
that data for visits to coastal counties be collected annually.
The data currently collected are based on an annual survey which asks visitors their main destination when visiting the state. The results from the survey are then compiled by region. These regions include both coastal and non-coastal counties. The state should, instead, ask the visitors to name all of the counties they visited while staying in Florida (a map showing counties could be provided to help them complete this task). The data should then be compiled by county.
Because of the potential for double calculation, these figures may not be helpful on a statewide basis; however, data for statewide purposes may continue to be collected with current methods. It is not necessary that the county and state numbers match. The data used by counties need not be used for state or regional purposes.