2011-2014
MISSION: The Hernando County Tourism Bureau will identify, create, support and enhance activities, consistent with community assets that increase visitation and provide local economic impact.
SWOT ANALYSIS - STRENGTHS Spectacular unspoiled nature; wildlife, birds, nature preserves Trails, waterfront parks Proximity to Tampa Bay; central Florida location with easy access via I-75 and Suncoast Parkway The newly expanded Visitor Information Center offers a more in-depth look at the County s tourism assets Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Croom ATV and BMX Trails; only kid-friendly park in Florida Affordable vacation and lodging choices
SWOT ANALYSIS - WEAKNESSES Lack of brand identity Perceived remote location Lack of multiple or larger attractions No Convention and Visitors Center; little meeting space Lack of Visitor Information throughout County Lack of larger upscale malls and outlet malls Residents concerns about Tourism s negative effects Inadequate web content; social media program still in fledgling stages Marketing dollars must target many different assets, reducing the impact over all target audiences
SWOT ANALYSIS - OPPORTUNITIES Florida fares better than most Visitor numbers down less than 1% in 2008 & 2009; increased 1.7% in 2010 and were up 4.4% in 2011, a record year for tourism in Florida 1/3 of all leisure travelers want to visit Florida New Consumer Changing values; spending less Redefining vacation along with other financial priorities Change in behaviors from Buying to Experiences Sports Tournaments and Racing Events Weeki Wachee Visitor Information Center Nature Coast Sports Complex Florida Blueberry Festival Chinsegut Hill Conference Center
SWOT ANALYSIS - THREATS Rising gas prices; continued economic stress BP Oil Spill Not receiving any funds has further eroded our share of voice in the marketplace Weather is unpredictable, particularly for summer season County budget cuts threaten our park; any further deterioration of fields will limit our ability to compete for tournaments State budget cuts left Croom ATV Park closed temporarily closed on Tues & Wed; currently back open seven days a week; there are no guarantees for how long
GOALS: Identify and raise awareness of Hernando County s key tourism assets, developing strategies for marketing each to the appropriate target markets. Increase visitation among resident and non-resident, domestic and international travelers, including: Attracting new travelers Encouraging current travelers to visit more often Encouraging current travelers to stay longer Increase visitation year-round especially during shoulder and off-peak seasons Increase the number of tournaments and sports events held in Hernando County; particularly during off-season months. Position ourselves as a resource for information on the area and within our niche markets. Raise awareness and understanding of Hernando County Tourism, the benefits of tourism and the use of bed taxes within the community.
INITIATIVES: To accomplish these goals we will: Define and build our brand within the marketplace, creating a cohesive set of marketing tools and programs that speak with a unified voice to each of our target markets. Become the leader in tourism information and dissemination about Hernando County and its tourism assets; for our potential and current visitors, our tourism partners and our elected officials. Provide value-added services to our tourism partners, offering specialized training, expanded visibility, promotions and partnership opportunities Tourism Summit scheduled for May 9, 2012. Educate the community; both our constituents and neighbors on the value and benefits of tourism, as well as our partners and visitors on the value of good stewardship and respect for our outstanding natural environment and quality of life. Survey and collect current data; about and from our visitors in an effort to further qualify the visitor to Hernando County, allowing us to maximize the investment of our resources, whether time, talent or treasure.
KEY TOURISM ASSETS Key marketable assets include: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Weeki Wachee River Weeki Wachee Preserve Croom Trails & OHV Park Withlacoochee State Forest Withlacoochee River Recreation Trails Great Florida Birding Trail 10 locations in Hernando County Waterfront Parks and Boating Facilities; Pine Island, Bayport, Jenkins Creek, Linda Pederson and Rogers Park Chassahowitzka Wildlife Refuge Chinsegut Nature Center Cypress Lakes Preserve Fickett Hammock Preserve Sports Facilities and Parks; Anderson Snow, Ernie Wever, Veterans Memorial Park Florida Classic Dog Park Historic Downtown Brooksville Golf Courses Museums Art Galleries, Theatres, Fine Arts Programs
TARGET MARKETS Hernando County s tourism efforts are focused mainly on the leisure travel market; including both outdoor recreation and cultural heritage travel. DEMOGRAPHIC TARGET MARKETS PRIMARY Individuals Active adults, mid 30 s+, take a least two vacations per year. Interests may include hiking, camping, golf, history, wildlife viewing, relaxing, fishing, educational and others. Individuals may be traveling as groups of two or more (couples, girlfriend getaways, mancations, etc). Mature couples Active 55+ couples Interests may include outdoor activities, history, wildlife viewing, photography, golf, hiking and others (may include RV'rs). Many of these couple may be traveling as togethering groups with other friends and/or extended family. SECONDARY Families Active adults with 1+ children and multi-generation travelers; interests may include wildlife viewing, hiking, biking, history and others.
TARGET MARKETS GEOGRAPHIC TARGET MARKETS PRIMARY In State/In-region Georgia the top origin state and the number one drive state for Florida Tennessee Kentucky Ohio Michigan SECONDARY Canada United Kingdom Germany Brazil INTEREST/ACTIVITY TARGET MARKETS PRIMARY Sports Tournaments and Racing Events Trails Enthusiasts Bird Watching and Wildlife Viewing Boating/Fishing Golf Off-Road; BMX, ATV Riders SECONDARY History and Culture
SPORTS TOURNAMENTS & RACING EVENTS Sports Tournaments represent a recession-proof market; parents will encourage their children s participation even while cutting other expenses. Younger boys and girls sports generate the largest number of additional room nights; Parents and family travel in greater numbers for younger players and teenage girls; bring 2.5 family members per athlete vs 1.5 for older boys. The Nature Coast Sports Complex should be developed with the goal of increasing our ability to compete for larger tournaments; particularly softball. Extreme Racing, cross country races combined with obstacle courses, is an emerging trend that should fit well with Hernando County s tourism assets. Tourism is in conversations with SWFMD and Kip Koelsch of Endeavor Racing bring a race to the Weeki Wachee Preserve in the fall of 2012.
TRAILS ENTHUSIASTS Trails Enthusiasts include hikers, bikers, canoe and kayakers; all high quality target markets with minimal impact on resources. Cycling is a key target for trails and race enthusiasts; Brooksville Cycle Classic brought significant press coverage, helping promote area as a bike-friendly destination. BIRD WATCHING AND WILDLIFE VIEWING Bird-watchers are affluent, active and engaged, taking 4+ trips/yr. Hernando County boasts 10 locations along the Great Florida Birding Trail. Hernando County is home to at least three rare or endangered species; as well as many more migratory species wintering here.
BOATING AND FISHING Boating and Fishing continue to represent key target markets offering year-round participation. Fishing is also a gateway activity as fishermen regularly participate in other outdoor sports, often in the same trip. GOLF With 17 golf courses lying along the Brooksville Ridge, Hernando County offers golf enthusiasts unique and challenging terrain not found elsewhere in Florida. Hernando County is home to World Woods, which boasts two of the top 100 courses and the top practice facility in the country. Also home to Southern Hills Plantation, designed by renowned golf architect, Pete Dye.
OFF-ROAD RIDERS Croom motorcycle area, offering trails for both ATV/BMX and Mountain Biking. The only kid-friendly park where kids can ride their own bike or ATV, offers tremendous potential for increasing market share in the off-road market. Kendall Kimball, owner of croomatvrental.com; already aggressively promoting Croom ATV Park; willing to work with Tourism Bureau, participating in upcoming FAM (Familiarization)Tour for outdoor and travel writers. HISTORY AND CULTURE TOURISM Adventure Tourism combines key elements of Eco-Tourism and Culture Heritage Travel; visitors combine elements of both into their vacations. Historic Brooksville offers a wealth of historic vacation opportunities; walking tours, museums, events. 2013 is the 150 th Anniversary of the Raid on Bayport; will work with Raid organizers to offer additional activities with goal of increasing bed nights.
STRATEGIES Visitor Information Centers Relocated, expanded presence at I-75 Satellite Visitor Information Center at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Visitor Information Kiosk in downtown Brooksville Collateral Brochure/Map has been redesigned to be more inclusive and engaging; includes paid advertising Website Currently being redesigned and expanded; will allow for better SEO practices as well as provide more in-depth content making it a true vacation planning tool for visitors Greater in-depth content, arranged by areas of interest Include more interactive tools to make site more sticky Interactive map with search features for creation of custom itineraries and maps Weather widget enewsletter signup; build customer database, ongoing marketing opportunities Baked in buttons for social media Imagery that reflects all age-groups and interests Business Profiles for all tourism related businesses; hotels, restaurants, marinas, etc
STRATEGIES Social Media Facebook page is live; future plans include Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare and Pinterest, the latest in destination marketing social media tools email Newsletters Visitors Tourism partners Weekly events updates to visitors and partners Will also provide additional web site content; SEO/SEM efforts Public Relations Travel writers; FOWA, SEOPA FAM Tour scheduled for May 2012 Editorial calendars; calendars of events Television; niche programs, particularly sports channels, flats class, Florida on a tankful
STRATEGIES Advertising and Promotion Budget currently allows for only official Visit Florida publications; Visit Florida (outof-state), Inside Florida (in-state), Visit Florida Map, UK, German & French market magazine ads Other Print: display ads, reader response programs, target markets, varies by market and budget Online: multi-faceted targeting for banner and text ads; Facebook and Google adwords Free listings, links, posts on forums, calendars of events, Wikipedia Radio/TV: Trip on a tankful strategies Billboards: Drive Market on I-75 Travel Shows Atlanta Travel Show Florida Sportsman Fishing Shows: Sarasota, Orlando Central Florida Boat & Sports Expo (Orlando) Northwest Sports Show (Minneapolis) Florida Outdoor Writers Conference Events Florida Blueberry Festival Fishing Tournament (Need to find a host organization; have potential sponsors)
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS NEW VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER AT I-75 Walk-in visitor numbers are up 25-36% for winter months Expanded space allows for greater display of Tourism Assets Mini-nature preserve has changed entire dynamic of beach inquiries SPORTS TOURNAMENTS Tourism support has encouraged private citizens to invest/expand soccer fields; increasing Hernando County s ability to host larger tournaments Dog Frisbee Tournament; organizers looking for a home and are thrilled with pet friendly hotels and rates, tourism support Lacrosse Tournaments; first time hosting, June 2-3 & Nov 17-18, 2012 WEEKI WACHEE SPRINGS STATE PARK Publicist John Athanason now on TDC board; increased collaboration Newton Perry inducted to Florida Tourism Hall of Fame Park is willing to host satellite Visitor Information Center