Introduction

The Florence-Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) endured a successive period of negative returns in Fiscal Year 2020 (FY2020) and never in the history of the tour and travel industry experienced such unprecedented conditions. The return of travel was doubtful for a period and for certain the way people traveled would be under review and scrutinized.

Reimagining, Recreating and Recovering were three key motivators for DMO’s across the globe. Our destination pressed forward to manage the crises and capitalized on every opportunity a orded to drive visitation and spending. After a long and grueling year, the industry united to press on with the hope of a brighter future. FY2020 ended with a rate of growth of -23%.

Beginning in April 2021, exactly one year after the lowest month on record, we began a successive period of record-breaking revenue months in lodging tax collection. The need for travel and pent-up demand began to emerge on the travel scene with industry highpoints and the slow return of the meetings and group markets. Coupled with this, the Florence-Lauderdale CVB launched an aggressive digital ad campaign with Epsilon, the global leader in outcome-based marketing which saw a $20:1 return on ad spend.

The combination of these factors along with a recession and pandemic-proof sport tourism market, 2021 was a record year!

Although convention and group travel still lag, industry partners are now more dependent on DMO’s to both market and manage the destination o erings and elevate the customer experience more intentionally.

International air travel along with land borders to Canada and Mexico opened on November 8, 2021. The return of international travel has only strengthened our arrivals and helped to bring the visitor economy back to conventional levels.

We are headed into 2022 with great optimism. While other global supply chain and food shortages emerge, we are cautiously, yet proactively, advancing our programming to meet visitor demands and build upon a strong 2021.