VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The beaches are bringing in big business. That’s what the newest tourism report shows for Volusia County. It’s all during what the officials are calling a “reset” year post-Covid and amid recovery from Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.
The 2023 Economic Impact of Tourism on Volusia County report was released this week. The report, which is produced by Mid-Florida Marketing and Research, said that 10.14 million people visited Volusia County in 2023. Visitors spent $5.4 billion dollars and paid 38% of the local sales tax last year.
The numbers are proof that even during a reset year, tourism rates are remaining strong and local Volusia County businesses are staying busy.
If you’ve ever driven on the Dunlawton Bridge in Port Orange, you’ve probably seen a line outside of the Dairy Bar. The building has been at the bottom of the bridge for nearly 75 years, and the current business has been a staple in the greater Daytona Beach area since the 1990s.
“It’s the perfect place if you’re in Daytona Beach Shores or Ponce Inlet to come by on a hot day,” David Rowley, an employee at the Dairy Bar, said. “Coming off the beach. Get you a nice twist cone.”
It’s a hotspot for tourists and locals alike, known for soft-serve ice cream and chili dogs. David Rowley has been working at the Dairy Bar for 15 years, and said the business is about to enter its busy season.
“Summer is definitely our busy season,” he said. “That’s when we get all of the tourists in town.”
From June to August, the Dairy Bar stays open until 10 p.m. to accommodate tourism season. Rowley said the tourists coming back night after night helps support the business.
“We have families we know,” he said. “Every year they’ll come and stay for a week or two. They come and literally every night, they’ll go out to dinner, they’ll go to the restaurants and then they’ll come here for the ice cream afterwards.”
Tourism is Volusia County’s leading industry. The new data shows that tourism rates are remaining steady even as the area rebuilds from Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.
“That definitely affected business a little bit, but I feel like it’s definitely bounced back and people are coming back to Daytona Beach Shores,” Rowley said.
It’s a sentiment backed up by data. Today, the Daytona Beach Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) held a Community Tourism Listening Session to share marketing plans and information with the community and get input from residents on how they want to see their county marketed. According to the CVB’s new report, 2023 tourism numbers were slightly down from 2022 — but officials said that’s to be expected in what they’re calling a “reset” year.
“So, the numbers are pretty much flat with 2022,” Lori Campbell Baker, the executive director of the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said. “We knew that this was going to be a reset year as we continue with tourism.”
After high tourism numbers post-Covid, city officials said the area is entering a reset as competition increases following the pandemic. Campbell Baker said she is pleased with this year’s numbers and that the county is holding its own compared to competitors.
“We were pleased with the numbers,” she said. “We continue to do everything that we can, both on the leisure side and on the group sales side, in order to increase those numbers to expose more people to Volusia County.”
Rowley said he’s glad the CVB is working to promote the greater Daytona Beach area. He said that the more people that come into town, the better it is for everyone.
“I think the more people that get into town, the more they’ll want to come back.”
Reagan Ryan is a 2023 — 2025 Report for America Corps Member, covering the environment and climate across Central Florida for Spectrum News 13. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.