OCALA, Fla. – Tourism leaders are celebrating a big win as Marion County has seen a record-breaking couple of months when it comes to tourist development tax revenue.
For February and March 2024, officials said the total revenue combined came out to $1.3 million. March was the highest revenue month to date, at little more than $697,000, Since the referendum became effective in January 2005.
“The boom in tourism is really that we’ve been found,” said Tourist Development Director Loretta Shaffer.
Shaffer said tourism is big business in Marion County.
“What’s great about tourism is it really allows a quality of life to be enhanced for our community to grow, for new businesses to be attracted to the community, and also to create amazing jobs,” Shaffer said.
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According to the Ocala Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau, from April 2023 to March 2024 Marion County saw a whopping 1.4 million visitors, generating $1 billion in economic impact.
Chief Operating Officer of Arc Hospitality, Jeff Bailey, said he’s not surprised by those numbers.
“I’ve been here for 13 years and a couple of years after I got here there was a tremendous amount of momentum being generated and so it’s been fun to watch and I don’t think we’re nearly done at this point so that makes it fun,” Bailey said.
There are many reasons why leaders said tourism is booming in Marion County, from the parks you can visit, to being the horse capital of the world, plus events at Florida Aquatic Swimming and Training that bring in hundreds of athletes, their coaches and parents.
“We’ve been open a little over two years now in that two years, estimated economic impact, sitting about $20 million in the first two years,” said Director of Business Development for FAST Kevin Milak. “Projection for year three is sitting right at about an additional $20 million. So as things are growing, it’s getting really exciting.”
News 6 spoke to Milak just as the FAST prepares for another event where hundreds of athletes will spend Memorial Day Weekend in Marion County, along with their coaches and families.
“A little over 700 athletes, obviously that’s just athlete count – they all have parents, they all have coaches,” Milak said. “Many of them, they are in hotels, eating three meals a day out at restaurants or somewhere here locally Wednesday night, all day Thursday, Friday, Saturday and then heading home on Monday. It can feel like home, but it can also be a world-class destination.”
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