On Tuesday morning, the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners unanimously agreed to add two new positions to the Tourist Development Department.
- Destination Stewardship coordinator
- Sports Marketing coordinator
As part of the Tourist Development Department’s recent expansion, a revised Tourism Development Plan was created for a much larger countywide tourism area. This included new tourism strategies that were more land-based, such as sports tourism, eco-tourism and agri-tourism.
“With the expansion of the taxing district, there’s additional and new work to be done,” said Tourism Director Jennifer Adams to the commission on Tuesday.
With Tuesday’s approval, the TDD will add a second Destination Stewardship Coordinator position. This person will help develop Destination Stewardship initiatives more specifically focused on the northern end of the County.
“As you know, destination stewardship is heavily engaged with the promotion of tourism by enhancing our tourism product, improving visitor experiences, and engaging tourists/visitors in-market,” said Adams. “Stewardship in the expanded area of the county must be curated in a compelling manner that is cohesive with the Destin-Fort Walton Beach brand.”
According to Adams, this person will be tasked with recruiting tourism partners to develop partnerships and add to their popular Little Adventure packs. Additionally, they be focus on cultivating relationships with community stakeholders and broaden awareness of tourism programs and priorities, along with identifying new opportunities.
‘Don’t call it a comeback’…but it’s back!
Sports Marketing was previously an existing position within the Tourism Department. Now that it is back, the Sports Marketing Coordinator will work on developing sports tourism in Okaloosa County.
“The recreational sports industry continues to grow at the regional, national, and international levels and provides an opportunity to generate economic impact to community businesses,” said Adams.
- Sports Tourism also has the ability to introduce the area to new first-time visitors, and garner repeat visitation during the off-peak seasons.
In the northern end of the County, the sports industry will need to be built up, while new and expanded sports opportunities will be pursued for the southern end of the county, according to Adams.
The coordinator will be tasked with:
- Undertaking a sports feasibility study to see what opportunities are available.
- Building community relationships to support a comprehensive sports infrastructure.
- Attend sports-specific trade shows to explore and attract innovative sporting events to both the southern and northern ends of the county.
Adams says that not only will the TDD work with existing sports facilities in surrounding municipalities, but also explore areas where new facilities could possibly be built.
“We need this and I’m really excited for these new positions,” said Adams to Get The Coast.
Adams says that job descriptions for each position will be posted on the county’s website within the next few weeks.
“Anyone interested in these roles can go onto the county’s website and setup an alert to be notified when it is posted,” she said.
By the numbers: In Fort Walton Beach alone, this past sports season saw:
- 6 Tournaments totaling 29 days
- 618 teams
- 7,500 baseball and softball players
- 20,000 visitors
- 1,383 games played at the complex
And just this week in Destin, the city council directed Mayor Gary Jarvis to work with city attorneys on preliminary research as it pertains to purchasing the property where Old Time Pottery is located.
- The reason: Expand the city’s sports complex.
