Tourism Works for Walton County!

Walton County Tourism joins destinations across America to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week — a time where we remind ourselves of the importance of traveling and seeking some kind of escape — and fun! — from our normal lives.

We also celebrate the travel and tourism industry that strives to create memorable experiences for visitors. Most significantly, it’s an opportunity to reflect on how tourism boosts our local economy, enhancing community vitality and quality of life for our residents.

Here in Walton County, tourism generates nearly $5 billion in total economic impact each year, making it the County’s No. 1 economic driver. It supports 33,800 jobs and funds important public services like lifeguards, beach patrols and world-class culinary and cultural amenities. These include events like 30A Songwriters Festival, Freeport Bayfest and Christmas Reflections in DeFuniak Springs that elevate the quality of place for both residents and visitors.

Visitor spending also makes up the majority of county revenue, helping to save the average Walton County household approximately $2,000 in taxes annually.

Direct visitor spending supports our local shops, hotel, restaurants and services — in fact, 71% of all spending comes from visitors. However, Walton County Tourism is completely funded through a Tourist Development Tax, or bed tax, collected from hotels, condos and any other types of short-term rentals (stays of six months of less).

TDT is not paid by residents. It’s a proven, self-sustaining tool supported by our lodging partners to help grow our local economy. The money collected is used to fund things like marketing and promotion, beach maintenance and restoration, beach safety (lifeguards/beach flag awareness), beach, bay and park accesses, facilities and infrastructure utilized by visitor and residents alike.

Why does this matter? If the county had to fund all the programs and services currently paid for by TDT revenue, it would have to increase the millage rate by 1.5 mils, which equates to a 42% increase in taxes for Walton County taxpayers.

In this week where we celebrate the joys of travel and creating memorable experiences, we encourage our residents to reflect on why tourism matters for Walton County. If you’d like to learn more, stop by our Open House on Friday, May 9 from 10:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m. at the Visitor Information Center on the corner of Highways 331 and 98. We’d be glad to answer questions while you enjoy some local treats and giveaways.

More information about Walton County Tourism is available at www.waltoncountyfltourism.com