Walton County Celebrates Tourism’s Success in 2023
Walton County Celebrates Tourism’s Success in 2023
Walton County Tourism celebrated the destination’s strong tourism economy in 2023 at its annual meeting on Oct. 24 at Hotel Effie Sandestin.
“Because of the hard work and dedication of our industry partners and workforce, Walton County continues to shine as a vacation destination,” Tourism Director Matt Algarin said to the event attendees, who included tourism partners, county officials, leadership and staff.
Walton County welcomed more than 5.1 million visitors in 2023 who spent more than $4.7 billion, contributing to an economic impact of $6.8 billion for the county. More than $60 million in Tourist Development Tax was collected in 2023.
These spending numbers also helped lower county residents’ taxes on average $2,082 per household and supported more than 41,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly. This effect generated $1.2 billion in salaries and wages.
“Knowing that our efforts, in a small way, help provide jobs to our residents and support families is incredibly rewarding,” Algarin said.
Algarin emphasized the tourism department leading visitation efforts forward and touched on two main points – normalization of tourism and travel and sustainable tourism.
“There is a delicate balance between the tourism industry and our residents,” he said. “Neither can be successful without a great partnership that benefits both. We are working every day to make sure that happens.
“We’ll continue to balance the needs of our tourism industry, economy and residents in everything we do in the Walton County Tourism Department,” Algarin said.
Brian Kellenberger, director of Beach Operations, thanked his staff, industry partners and county leadership for their support of his work maintaining the pristine beaches, facilities and landscaping around Walton County.
“I really enjoy creating and maintaining public space, and I really enjoy doing it here in South Walton with all of our industry partners and public officials, and all of the people who help us do it,” said Kellenberger.
Winners of the Artist of the Year and the Van Ness Butler, Jr. Hospitality awards were also announced. Accepting the Artist of the Year award was Sarah Page, whose murals can be found in Walton County locations such as Grand Boulevard, the newly opened Inlet Beach Underpass, and the Walton County Fairgrounds.
The Van Ness Butler, Jr. Hospitality Award went to Amy Wise-Coble, general manager of Homeowner’s Collection and Tourist Development Council member.
To view a video of Walton County Tourism’s 2023 Year in Review, visit youtube.com/watch?v=rOcVQ1WO4tA33. For more information about the impact of tourism in Walton County, visit waltoncountyfltourism.com/annual-reports.
For more information on the Artist of the Year program, visit waltoncountyfltourism.com/artist-year/.
For more information on the Van Ness Butler., Jr. Hospitality Awards, visit waltoncountyfltourism.com/van-ness-butler-jr-award.