Palm Coast Sports Tourism Helped by State Visitor Increase

If it seemed as if there were more out-of-state license plates around town last year, you weren’t dreaming. According to a state media release, the Sunshine State welcomed nearly 143 million visitors in 2024, a 1.6% increase compared with 2023, which was the previous record holder for tourism.

The fourth quarter of 2024 also set a new benchmark with 33.1 million visitors, surpassing the previous record for a Q4 period – setting the highest visitation for any fourth quarter. The record-breaking visitation was fueled by 29.9 million domestic visitors, 2.5 million overseas visitors and 742,000 Canadian visitors, the release stated. For the year, 3.3 million travelers from Canada visited Florida, up 1.2% from 2023 with nearly 9 million overseas visitors for the year, a 6.6% jump from 2023.

Palm Coast Economic Development Manager Craig McKinney said sports tourism has been a boon for the city, contributing more than $25 million in economic impact to local businesses.

“Palm Coast has strategically invested in sports tourism to enhance the local economy, attract visitors and showcase the city’s top-tier recreational facilities,” he said. “These efforts have proven highly successful, bringing thousands of athletes, families and spectators to the area each year.”

McKinney said investments at the Indian Trails Sports Complex allowed the city to host several regional and national events, attracting teams from around the country.

“Adding to Palm Coast’s growing reputation as a sports tourism destination is the newly opened Southern Recreation Center, which has quickly become a hub for tennis and pickleball tournaments,” McKinney said. “Most recently, the facility hosted the USTA Palm Coast Open, a prestigious event that brought top men’s and women’s tennis players from around the world to the city. Events like these not only boost tourism but also elevate Palm Coast’s status in the competitive world of sports tourism.”

That has translated into a positive economic impact for the city.

 “Tourism, including sports tourism, plays a vital role in Palm Coast’s overall economy,” McKinney said. “It supports local businesses, creates jobs and generates revenue that helps fund city services and amenities. Visitors drawn to sporting events often return for leisure trips, further boosting the city’s hospitality and service industries.”

In St. Johns County, Tera Meeks, director of tourism and cultural development, said while tourist development tax collections – also known as the bed tax – were down slightly in 2024, the year ended on the upswing.

“We did finish the year with a very strong showing in December for the Nights of Lights season, which runs annually from mid-November through the end of January,” she said. “December 2024 brought in the highest TDT collections for any December St. Johns County has had thus far.”

Meeks said the county anticipates a modest growth in tourism in 2025, with growth around 5% in bed tax collections. She said tourism remains an important part of the overall county economy.

“Tourism is one of the largest economic engines in St. Johns County and makes up approximately one-third of the annual economic activity within the county,” she said.

Lori Campbell Baker, executive director at the Daytona Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the numbers for 2025 are looking good so far.

“While we won’t get our 2024 numbers until May, we do know that in 2023 we welcomed 10.1 million visitors to Volusia County with total visitor expenditures in our community at $5.4 billion,” she said. “For our fiscal year 2024-25, which began in October, we are already trending positively.”

Campbell Baker said the strong tourism numbers are also a good sign for the local economy.

“Tourism is a key economic driver in our community, supporting our local businesses and citizens with critical income and much-needed jobs,” she said. “The bed taxes generated from guests who stay overnight in our lodging establishments help pay down the bonds at the Ocean Center and fund the area’s multi-faceted tourism marketing efforts.”

Campbell Baker said the CVB is working on ways to promote the area as a prime vacation and visitor destination.

“We take the responsibility of tourism marketing seriously and we’re constantly finding new and inventive ways to entice visitors from around the world to come enjoy our beaches, attractions, cuisine, arts and culture and outdoor treasures,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun, and the results help this amazing community to thrive.”

Campbell Baker credited efforts to add new flights at Daytona Beach International Airport as a driver of tourism development in the county.

“Due to the work of the great team at Daytona International Airport, we’re seeing a strong expansion of air service into our community, with popular new routes coming online via Breeze Airways and Avelo Airlines,” she said.