Welcome to Destin…
That part of our tourism marketing strategy was always intentional, spending money in the upscale cities and communities to get out our message. At first, we were the ‘best kept secret’ of Florida. A family could come to our beach and have a comfortable amount of room to swim, lay in the sun, play catch or even volleyball. As our beach became more popular, we were no longer a secret. The word was out. And still we persevered to stay family oriented.
When we could no longer claim our secret – we transitioned to “Florida’s most relaxing place.” We could get behind that. When you drive across the bridge from the mainland and reach the other side, all your stress melts away and you have entered paradise. And, for the next few minutes or how long you are there for, even if it is for work purposes, you feel like you are on vacation. It is a very relaxing place.
As a community, we have fought hard to make sure we do not become another Destin or Pensacola Beach. Those crowds are rowdy and do not fit us. They trash the beaches without care or respect for where they are, they break things that cost money to repair (bathrooms, etc.) and they are not the ones who spend the most money.
When we think of Alvin’s Island, we think of those tourists. The stores are all along the Gulf Coast with several in the Destin area, Fort Walon Beach, Pensacola and Pensacola Beach. And it shows. We do not disparage Alvin’s Island – there is absolutely a market for them. There is a lot of money to be had in the other places. But not here. Not our pristine Navarre Beach.
Island Style on the mainland is our type of beach store, with high-end swimsuits, towels and clothing – and a nice souvenir if you want one. They are locally owned and operated. We can get behind that, too.
It isn’t just Alvin’s Island we are talking about. Our tourism office is moving forward with building a boardwalk on our beach. Which communities have a boardwalk? Well, Okaloosa Island for one. That place stays packed, especially on weekends, with loud live music and the party crowd. It didn’t start out that way, but it attracted businesses which provide that atmosphere. Panama City has a boardwalk (Pier Park) – crime is on the rise around there.
Our boardwalk may start out as quaint and lovely, but over the years it will be subject to wear and tear, hurricanes and rotating vendors. It might even be an eyesore at some point. In addition to that, they are also building a multi-million-dollar waterfront welcome center for the tourism office. At what point will our view of the Gulf be obstructed?
We can yell all we want that we don’t want to be another Destin…but it falls on deaf ears. Why? Because it brings money. The real question is, is it the kind of money we want to bring in? Are we looking for repeat visitors or one-shot wonders who are budgeting their vacation stay on a dime? Because those are the people who can go to Panama City Beach, Pensacola Beach or Fort Walton Beach. It isn’t all or nothing.
And it something doesn’t stop the trajectory, our new motto will be ‘Hey y’all…welcome to Destin.’