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Visit Flagler presents 2018 tourism sentiment index; residents and partners surveyed on tourism priorities
Summary
Visit Flagler staff presented a tourism-sentiment index (2018) showing a sentiment score of 44 on a -100 to +100 scale and low conversation volume relative to peers; staff also summarized a resident survey (1,170 responses) and a partner survey (35 responses) to inform destination development and community engagement.
Visit Flagler presented social-listening research and survey results to the Tourist Development Council on Jan. 15, reporting a 2018 tourism-sentiment score of 44 (scale: -100 to +100) and a diagnosis that Palm Coast/Flagler Beach generates positive online sentiment but low conversation volume compared with peer beach destinations.
"Our score is in the blue which is a 44," Amy (tourism staff) said, explaining the methodology: the vendor aggregates online conversations (social media, third-party travel sites) and classifies them as destination promoters, passives, or detractors. Amy said the data period for the presented report runs from Jan. 1, 2018 through Dec. 31, 2018.
Key findings presented: - Sentiment: high positive sentiment for restaurants, surfing and nature photography. Amy noted that surfing tournaments and nature photography activity produce enthusiastic online mentions. "Restaurants and surfing, scored very high," she said. - Volume: overall online conversation volume about Palm Coast/Flagler Beach is low compared with competitors such as Daytona Beach and St. Augustine, limiting awareness. - Potential growth categories: restaurants, surfing and camping were identified as categories with high sentiment and growth potential. - Underperforming assets: golf and food producers (specifically farmers markets) scored below the comparative set in volume.
Amy and board members discussed limitations of the study and next steps. Amy said the vendor’s algorithm collects public comments and that the office will use the insights to prioritize destination-development tactics and community engagement. The tourism office plans to obtain 2019 and 2020 reports to benchmark progress.
Separately, the tourism office summarized two surveys conducted in August–September 2019: a resident survey with 1,170 responses and a partner survey with 35 responses. Staff reported that 53.85% of resident respondents said they were aware of the tourism department, a majority of resident respondents indicated they feel the county has the "right amount" of tourism, and a large number of respondents volunteered their email addresses (about 780) to receive communications. The partner survey returned a higher satisfaction score (4.1 on the staff scale) but low response rates.
Board members discussed how to act on the findings: suggestions included encouraging local businesses and visitor groups to post user-generated content (tags/check-ins) to raise volume, seeking golf-organization feedback to assess golf's online footprint, and using the research to focus advertising and destination-development spending.
