Local tourism leaders hold fourth annual meeting

In less than 30-days, the “tourism meeting of the year” will convene as the St Augustine, Ponte Vedra and the Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau unveils their fourth annual “State of the Tourism Industry” report at the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort.

Coffee and pastries will be served at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 14, with the presentation beginning at 9:30 a.m. sharp — please be punctual.

“I’m sure you’ll want to be there when we unveil the latest facts and figures,” Executive Director Richard Goldman told VCB members earlier today. “All key metrics indicate that we have worked our way out of the Great Recession with momentum continuing as we enter the summer season.”

Goldman told reporters that tourism is the leading industry in St Johns County, and, as part of the report, he’ll be reviewing the numbers, the driving forces that made them possible, and what he sees moving forward.

The star attraction will be a presentation by tourism visionary Peter C Yesawich; whose insights into tourism trends have been followed closely by travel professionals worldwide.

“Peter’s perspective on travel trends and changing consumer behavior, coupled with his intimate knowledge of our destination, will surely deliver compelling information that can be successfully applied by each and every one of us in the tourism industry,” Goldman added.

Rounding out the morning will be our annual “Employee of the Year” awards, honoring the best of our front line professionals from every area of our local hospitality industry. “These people are the face of our destination and richly deserve all of the applause and gratitude we can give them,” Goldman said.

For appropriate planning – and because Goldman says the event could reach capacity – those wishing to attend are asked to please call Erin Masters at (904) 209-4422 to confirm and reserve a place. A modest contribution of $10 by check or cash (sorry, no credit cards) will be collected at the door.