Where's the Tourism??

[Mouselady]

I will always consider myself a "New Yorker", being born & raised there. But I and my family have lived in Jacksonville for over 20 years now, and it's home now. Sometimes it's pretty embarrassing when friends and family come to visit, because there's really nothing here in Jacksonville to show them. We missed out on not one but TWO exceptional opportunities when the U.S.S. Forrestal and the U.S.S. J.F.K. were decommissioned. Being such a huge military community, wouldn't it have been great to have had one of them sitting Downtown for the tourists, as well as the locals, to take a tour??? My husband served on both ships, I've been on them, and would have been proud to take friends to see them. Another problem with this place is transportation. In Orlando you can leave your hotel and take a bus or special trolly just about anywhere you need or want to go. Here you HAVE to drive, and the roads are a mess, are crowded, and there's usually no place to park. Where I live (about 5 miles from the new River City Marketplace) even I can't take any kind of public transportation to go shopping. So I have to get in the car, drive there, and then fight for a place to park. And being handicapped, they only have one or two handicapped parking places for an entire strip of stores!!!! Yet Lowes is nice enough to have fourteen handicapped spaces. Figure that one out. They have almost as many handicapped spaces as the entire Mall!! If I could carry lumber and bricks, I wouldn't NEED a handicapped spot.  ::)Jacksonville needs to wake up and smell the tourists--just as they're whizzing by to someplace interesting. Even we go to St. Augustine or Orlando to have some fun or just get away on a day off....

[JeffreyS]

I went to St. Augustine this week and the train is right in downtown.  What an opportunity for sharing tourists a commuter train would be.

[thelakelander]

The tracks are also right in downtown Fernandina Beach.  Its possible to eventually have those two popular pedestrian friendly tourism spots as our system's end points with downtown and JIA in the middle.

[Ocklawaha]

For what it's worth, the train stations in both cities also were connected to the beaches via electric trolley. The Fernandina and Amelia Beach Railway, and the St. Johns Railway. As you cross Bridge of the Lions, just to the South of the West end are a group of pilings. Next to the Seafood place over the water. These were part of the electric railway bridge over the river. The new (old) bridge was then built with track in it which will be taken out on the rebuild I'm sure. In Fernandina as one cross the marsh on the Centre Street, look to the South and you'll notice a elevated grade full of bigger brush and small trees. This is the streetcar right of way to Amelia Beach.

Ocklawaha

[thelakelander]

Priceline.com's 2008 List Of Top 50 Destinations For Memorial Day

The Priceline Top 50 Destinations List for Memorial Day 2008

#1 New York City, Times Square/Theater District
#2 Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity South
#3 Chicago, Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area
#4 Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity North
#5 Chicago, North Michigan Avenue/River North Area
#6 Washington, DC, White House/Downtown
#7 New York City, Upper Midtown/Central Park South
#8 San Antonio, Downtown/Riverwalk
#9 New York City, Midtown East
#10 Seattle, Downtown
#11 Oahu, Waikiki Beach Area
#12 Vienna, West Area
#13 San Francisco, Union Square West
#14 San Diego, Coastal Area
#15 Orlando, Universal Studios/Sea World
#16 San Francisco, Union Square East/Embarcadero
#17 Vancouver
#18 Oahu, Waikiki Marina Area
#19 San Diego, Point Loma/Shelter Island/Downtown
#20 Boston, Copley Square/Theater District
#21 San Diego, Downtown & Harbor Island
#22 New York City, Long Island City
#23 Miami, Miami Beach
#24 Jersey City
#25 New York City, Downtown/Soho/Financial District
#26 Key West
#27 Vienna, City Centre
#28 Boston, Quincy Market/ Faneuil Hall/Financial District
#29 Orange County, Disneyland Area
#30 Paris, Eiffel Tower/Grenelle/Montparnasse
#31 St. Catharines, Niagara Falls
#32 Orlando, Disney World Vicinity
#33 San Antonio, Medical Center Area
#34 Miami, South Beach
#35 Toronto, Downtown
#36 Cleveland, Downtown
#37 San Diego, East County
#38 Maui, Wailea/Makena
#39 Maui, Ka'anapali/Lahaina
#40 Ft. Lauderdale, Beach Area
#41 Montreal
#42 London, Bloomsbury/Marble Arch
#43 San Francisco, Lombard Street Area
#44 Savannah, Historic District
#45 San Diego, Mission Valley
#46 Los Angeles, Hollywood
#47 Long Beach
#48 New York City, Brooklyn
#49 New York City, Midtown West
#50 Chicago, North Shore

http://www.centredaily.com/living/travel/story/590941.html

[David]

Drive around in Orlando on any given day, then tell me if you still want tourism!

There's stuff to do here for visitors though..... Sure we dont have the amenities of a larger city, but there's still plenty to do. Go to the beach, the zoo, go to the san marco theater for a movie and have a beverage, Go see live music, hit up the musuems, go to the cummer, go to memorial park, take a walk down river road, take a drive down a1a or heckshire . hit up one of the many restaurants, god knows there's no shortage of food anymore in this town. I suppose the problem is there's not a diverse array of things to do for tourist, but I always try to make the best of where i'm at....unless it's alexandria, lousianna.


I do agree with walking tours of riverside and some of the histrocal tours ideas. Our historic districts are starting to get some age on them, 100+ years is rare for most neighborhoods in Florida.

The problem is, most locals, like me just dont care about tourism. I tend to avoid the touristy areas when I travel even.. However, I realize the economical benefit of it so it's something that should be looked into by someone who is passionate about......tourism.

[thelakelander]

Drive around in Orlando on any given day, then tell me if you still want tourism!

Yes, but not because of theme parks and neon lights.  But because additional tourism has the potential to pay off economically.  Besides, for every Orlando or Las Vegas, there's a Savannah or Boston.

There's stuff to do here for visitors though..... Sure we dont have the amenities of a larger city, but there's still plenty to do. Go to the beach, the zoo, go to the san marco theater for a movie and have a beverage, Go see live music, hit up the musuems, go to the cummer, go to memorial park, take a walk down river road, take a drive down a1a or heckshire . hit up one of the many restaurants, god knows there's no shortage of food anymore in this town. I suppose the problem is there's not a diverse array of things to do for tourist, but I always try to make the best of where i'm at....unless it's alexandria, lousianna.

I believe the problem is that everything is too spaced out.  People don't want to spend their free time sitting on JTB.  The sprawl was our major point of criticism when the super bowl came to town a few years ago.  We just have to find a better way of connecting destinations and filling in dead zones with complementing uses.  Downtown has to be ground zero for this turn around in local urban planning.

I do agree with walking tours of riverside and some of the histrocal tours ideas. Our historic districts are starting to get some age on them, 100+ years is rare for most neighborhoods in Florida.

Yes, for example, Springfield's development dates back to the 1860s.

The problem is, most locals, like me just dont care about tourism. I tend to avoid the touristy areas when I travel even.. However, I realize the economical benefit of it so it's something that should be looked into by someone who is passionate about......tourism.

I think this is universal, even in Central Florida.  However, to a degree there could be less passion here, as compared to other places when it comes to carrying about the viability of the urban core.  What's funny is, places that place a high value on the urban core, attract tourist own their own.  So maybe our answer is to continue to push for a vibrant downtown and urban neighborhood districts.  Because if its attractive to the local population, it will also be attractive to those visiting the area.

[vicupstate]

Like Jacksonville, Greenville is seeking to broaden and grow it's level of tourism.   In the last 10 years, leisure tourism has gone from virtually non-existant to noticeable 'existant'.  The local attitutude toward the value of tourism has very noticable changed during that time as well.  The government and business leadership has clearly decided [including putting money where its mouth is] to take the city/county to a level of tourism similiar to Asheville.

A couple of years ago, a 2-cent meal-tax was added to increase attractions as well as fund two visitor centers, budgeted at $15-20mm apiece.  The first of these, The 'Go Experience' center, will be DT and is currently the subject of a design competition, intended to create a design that will itself be an attraction.  All of this is a follow-up to a major renovation to the Convention Center by the city.

This provides more details about a new website and marketing effort geared toward the 'drive-to' market, specifically Atlanta.  I have long thought that this is the same of type of direction Jacksonville should take in it's efforts.

Greenville sees Atlanta area just '2/to' good for tourism

Hospitality agency launches '2 hours to Greenville' to draw more visitors

By Jenny Munro
BUSINESS WRITER

Greenville tourism officials are waging a battle to attract Atlanta empty nesters to spend a few days in Greenville, to take in history, fine art, shopping, dining and outdoor recreation.

Little tidbits of information designed to pique consumers' interest in visiting Greenville have popped up around the north side of Atlanta on coffee cup sleeves, grocery store carts, pizza boxes and gas pumps, said Lauren Posta, marketing manager for the Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A key to tourism in Greenville is marketing the city and the Upstate as a long-weekend getaway. But the CVB doesn't have a lot of money to attract those visitors, she said.

Victoria Dahl, managing partner of RhodesDahl and a consultant with the CVB, said an economic feasibility and marketing study on two proposed Greenville tourism attractions -- the Go Experience in downtown and the Blue Wall Center on State 11 -- "is very, very positive. The only barrier to people coming to Greenville is awareness" and that can be changed through marketing.

The CVB's new guerrilla marketing campaign -- non-traditional advertising with limited funding -- began to show up in Atlanta this week and will cost a total of $50,000, with $30,000 spent on media placement, she said. A more traditional marketing campaign in Greenville could easily cost 10 times as much, she said.

Bounce, a Greenville ad agency that has worked with the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, and the CVB are working together to get the word out that Greenville is only two hours away from parts of Atlanta.

For example, people filling their tank with gas can see a reminder that "In Atlanta, most commutes take longer than it takes to get here." Stressing the two-hour trip, the advertising points them to a Web site, www.2hourstogreenville.com.

There's more.


Coffee drinkers could see "Coffee wakes the brain. Greenville wakes the spirit." Or their coffee sleeve could read "Sometimes your soul needs a little pick-me-up, too."


A grocery shopper could be welcomed with a sign: "Eating green things is good. Visiting green things is better." Another: "If paprika is the only spice in your life, we suggest a getaway."


One of the pizza box toppers says, "When was the last time you tried a nice big slice of life?"

"We wanted to tap into the places where out target market lives and plays," Posta said. "We wanted to put out something catchy."

Most of the campaign will last a month with the grocery cart signs running for two months, she said.

The simple messages are an attempt to drive traffic to the new Web site, which "really says it all" about Greenville as a visitor destination, Posta said. Browsers can book hotel rooms within the Web site.

CVB officials will be able to measure the hits on the Web site and a trackable 800 number is included for information, she said. In addition, the organization is trying to come up with other means of measuring interest and visitation.

Although Posta has no breakdown on the number of leisure visitors to Greenville in past month, weekend hotel occupancy is increasing slightly -- a signal that the visits are not business-related.

The 2hourstoGreenville campaign is an outgrowth of the success of a pilot BackStage Pass weekend getaway program last fall. It also targeted Atlanta empty nesters.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

www.2hourstogreenville.com

[JeffreyS]

Great Idea Vic we could target Orlando in a similar fashion.

[RiversideGator]

#12 Vienna, West Area

I didnt know this was a big tourist place, although the Big Pig Jig is quite fun.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna%2C_GA

[CrysG]

Another thing to think about, it's about tourist but not in the historic areas. I'm talking about the beaches. My family comes from DE and I remember visiting family in MD and we would go to Ocean City. Even after we moved down to Jacksonville I'd still go to Ocean City to go the beach. I was an adult before I went to a beach here.

I don't understand why Jacksonville beach doesn't have a board walk or a pleasure pier. Heck Daytona has a tiny one.

[Noone]

DIA Special Meeting 9/12/13 COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES for Downtown Investment. Ed Ball Bldg. 1st floor 3 pm. The last DIA meeting they are just getting ready to pick the winners and losers and just stick your hand out.

9/13/13 USS Adams Sub Committee meeting of the DIA (Downtown Investment Authority) 4 pm 1st floor city hall and open to the Public.

The new guy Paul Astleford CEO of VISIT JACKSONVILLE is just 9 mos on the job and has identified 32 organizations that are hindering TOURISM.

2013-384 Active piece of legislation and will an amendment be attached to allow 24/7 Public Access to Hogans Creek?

RAM dock only opened when RAM is Open. Not good.

Bay St. Pier Park 2010-604. The entire community has given up on asking you know who about you know what.

The Jim Love, Kevin Kuzel, 26' Berkman floating dock compromise misrepresented by OGC during the 2013 FIND grant application process.

Sydney Geffen Kayak launch.

Tom Ingram School Board kayak location recommendation for FIND (Florida Inland Navigation District)

Palmer Terrace Park Dist.4 Don Redman, Mike Messiano former FIND commissioner for Duval county, Dave  Roman, Mayor Brown and the official kayak logo that is missing.

Will there be an opportunity for TOURISM with the new Southbank Riverwalk project?

Shipyards III and the Euphoric NO! NO, NO, NO, sitting next to Scott Wilson during the Downtown Experience Committee meeting of the DIA and the response from Board member Tony Allegretti and OED interim director Paul Crawford prior to the 30 day RFI, RFP on the Shipyards Property if anyone wanted to access the floating dock that exists right now for personal or commercial purposes. NO, Absolutely NO!

In one day 9/11 10 am council chambers Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting that is open to the Public. Does anyone want to donate a buck to 2009-442 The artificial Reef Trust Fund? Seriously. 6 Artificial Reefs south of the Fuller Warren Bridge. immediate Economic Development and TOURISM! The Public Trust just crushed. Backroom deals.

Where's the Tourism??

It's not Downtown on our St. Johns River our American Heritage River a FEDERAL Initiative in our new highly restricted DIA zone.

[acme54321]

You really needed to bring up a five year old thread for that?