Golf and fishing are big draws to the area.

 

So is shopping now with the Town Center, and the beaches do draw a considerably higher number of tourists than people might think. 

 

Another area that draws people into the hotels are medical services.  With Mayo here, and a regional training hospital with UF Health, plus two other regional hospitals, there are quite a few "tourists" who are here for medical treatment, or to assist with families. 

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

So is shopping now with the Town Center, and the beaches do draw a considerably higher number of tourists than people might think. 

 

Another area that draws people into the hotels are medical services.  With Mayo here, and a regional training hospital with UF Health, plus two other regional hospitals, there are quite a few "tourists" who are here for medical treatment, or to assist with families. 

 

The thing is though, they are pretty much "forced tourists" so to speak.  It isn't like they are here because "Jacksonville is an attractive vacation destination".  The same could be said about other business travelers that end up here.

 

I have personally traveled to many places in the U.S. and abroad for work purposes.  Some of the places that I've been to, I would NEVER recommend anyone going to.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

Took me a minute to get to this.  Thanks FBT.

 

Again, please educate us short sighted and uneducated people.

 

What is the vision?

 

What is the goal?

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

The thing is though, they are pretty much "forced tourists" so to speak.  It isn't like they are here because "Jacksonville is an attractive vacation destination".  The same could be said about other business travelers that end up here.

 

I have personally traveled to many places in the U.S. and abroad for work purposes.  Some of the places that I've been to, I would NEVER recommend anyone going to.

 

WHO CARES????

 

Seriously, forced tourists?  I don't give a rats patoot why they're here.  They're here spending money and paying taxes so we don't have to.  Is it really that difficult to grasp?  They're pumping more than $2 billion annually into the local economy.  I don't care if they like it here or not. 

 

Again, it really doesn't matter whether you'd recommend a place or not.  If you are visiting other towns for whatever reason, you're spending money there, and pumping taxes into their system.  Whether you like the place or not matters not one iota.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

WHO CARES????

 

Seriously, forced tourists?  I don't give a rats patoot why they're here.  They're here spending money and paying taxes so we don't have to.  Is it really that difficult to grasp?  They're pumping more than $2 billion annually into the local economy.  I don't care if they like it here or not. 

 

Again, it really doesn't matter whether you'd recommend a place or not.  If you are visiting other towns for whatever reason, you're spending money there, and pumping taxes into their system.  Whether you like the place or not matters not one iota.

 

However, I thought the discussion was more-or-less about expanding on what we already have.

 

The "forced tourist" remark is because some of the cited reasons for people coming to the city have nothing to do with tourism, yet the "tourism" numbers are cited.  Coming to Jacksonville for medical treatment, business or training is not and should not be included in "tourism" numbers.

 

Yes, people here for business purposes buy hotel beds and yes they spend money here which adds to the revenue collected by the city, but those people are hardly "tourists" and should not be counted towards any "tourist" statistics.

 

I personally happen to give a "rat's patoot" about why people come here.  There is a reason why business is here, and thus the need for more hotels and such.  The biggest mistake is "not giving a rat's pattoot" about them.  After all, by your own comments, these people are "spending money and paying taxes so we don't have to".  Defecate on those people and see where their business moves to.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

However, I thought the discussion was more-or-less about expanding on what we already have.

 

The "forced tourist" remark is because some of the cited reasons for people coming to the city have nothing to do with tourism, yet the "tourism" numbers are cited.  Coming to Jacksonville for medical treatment, business or training is not and should not be included in "tourism" numbers.

 

Yes, people here for business purposes buy hotel beds and yes they spend money here which adds to the revenue collected by the city, but those people are hardly "tourists" and should not be counted towards any "tourist" statistics.

 

I personally happen to give a "rat's patoot" about why people come here.  There is a reason why business is here, and thus the need for more hotels and such.  The biggest mistake is "not giving a rat's pattoot" about them.  After all, by your own comments, these people are "spending money and paying taxes so we don't have to".  Defecate on those people and see where their business moves to.

 

If your big concern is that tourists must come here because they want to and no other reason is acceptable, move to Orlando.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

This thread has taken a really goofy turn.

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They installed a lot of panels last night on the north board, progress is rapid.

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Looking to troll? Don't bother, we supply our own.

 

 

Again, please educate us short sighted and uneducated people.

 

What is the vision?

 

What is the goal?

 

FBT probably did a much better job than I ever could have educating people (myself included) on what tourism in general brings to the city.  The vision and goal of the upgrades to the stadium and possibly the areas close to the stadium that the Jaguars will be involved in is pretty obvious.  Make more money for everyone.

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They installed a lot of panels last night on the north board, progress is rapid.

 

Yeah, they moved really quick last night.  I cant wait to watch the game/concert.

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However, I thought the discussion was more-or-less about expanding on what we already have.

 

The "forced tourist" remark is because some of the cited reasons for people coming to the city have nothing to do with tourism, yet the "tourism" numbers are cited.  Coming to Jacksonville for medical treatment, business or training is not and should not be included in "tourism" numbers.

 

Yes, people here for business purposes buy hotel beds and yes they spend money here which adds to the revenue collected by the city, but those people are hardly "tourists" and should not be counted towards any "tourist" statistics.

 

I personally happen to give a "rat's patoot" about why people come here.  There is a reason why business is here, and thus the need for more hotels and such.  The biggest mistake is "not giving a rat's pattoot" about them.  After all, by your own comments, these people are "spending money and paying taxes so we don't have to".  Defecate on those people and see where their business moves to.

 

You're really trying too hard in an attempt to prove something. What it is, I don't know.

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How did a thread about a live scoreboard upgrade turn into a Jacksonville tourism argument?

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Answer: look at the people involved in the tourism argument.

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I'm trying to make myself more informed and less opinionated.

Stop saying whatever stupid thing you're talking about and pay attention to all the interesting things I have to say!

How did a thread about a live scoreboard upgrade turn into a Jacksonville tourism argument?

I would call it a discussion more than an argument.

 

The subject that was brought up was the bed tax covering improvements to the stadium, including the new scoreboards.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

Will they show a rat's patoot on the new screens?

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It's about more than just those 2 events.  If you look at where the bulk of new hotels have sprung up around Jacksonville, there's usually a business element involved.  People come and go from Jacksonville constantly.  Many are business travelers who are here for whatever reason.  The majority of the hotels that are located near one of the high commerce areas downtown, or on the southside are consistently booked almost solid week after week. 

 

There's a reason there are so many new hotels popping up all around the city.  Companies aren't building them hoping people will show up. 

 

The bed tax is a 6% tax added to the cost of hotel rooms, and any apartments, condos, single family homes, or other dwellings that are rented out for less than 6 months at a time.  So, if a family comes down and rents a condo at the beach for a month, they're paying 6% to the city of Jacksonville as part of their fee.  It's a tidy sum that really adds up. 

 

Before someone says we don't get tourists in Jacksonville, in doing some research, tourism had a $2.2 billion economic impact on Jacksonville last year alone, and that income is rising by about 4% a year.  Lodging revenue generated from just hotels in the area was almost $360 million in 2013, and is expected to rise in 2014.  As that traffic has increased, so has the rates charged per room by hotels.  Lodging revenue from hotels increased by more than 5% last year from 2012, and that increase is expected to be even higher for 2014.  There's more than enough revenue being generated by the bed tax to assure any bonds issued for major projects will be repaid without having to have the local taxpayers carry the majority of the burden.

 

No, I'm not just plucking these numbers out of thin air.  There's a pretty comprehensive report about tourism in Jacksonville that came out a couple of months ago.  Here it is:

 

The Economic Impact of Tourism in Jacksonville, FL

 

I just read the report that you linked.  Thanks for that.  I do think that some of your figures might be a bit misleading.  I guess I was mistaking your use of the term "revenue" to equal taxes.  Actual tax revenue generated in 2013 was actually around $180 million which includes state and local taxes.  More specifically, the tax revenue gained from lodging was around $15 million, again including local and state taxes.

 

It would be interesting to look at a breakdown of exactly how much of the $15 million goes to the state, and how much goes into the city treasury.  Even more specific, how much of that is generated by the bed tax?  I suppose that I can break out the calculator and figure it out, but it's really not that important to me.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

None of the lodging tax they listed goes to the state.  That is the bed tax instituted by the city. 

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

None of the lodging tax they listed goes to the state.  That is the bed tax instituted by the city. 

You are absolutely right.  Looking at the chart again, it breaks that out.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

The north Jumbotron is about 80% complete...


Much Progress...


NH3...

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"AZANE"

I would call it a discussion more than an argument.

 

The subject that was brought up was the bed tax covering improvements to the stadium, including the new scoreboards.

Shad's Vision... When the ship yard project is complete in accordance to Jaguar thinking, it'll be another avenue to attract additional revenue to continue upgrades to the city owned stadium...


NH3...

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"AZANE"