Citrus County tourism director reports strong 2024 visitor spending and higher local capture; outlines five-year strategic plan
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Summary
The Citrus County Tourism Development Council reported robust 2024 visitor spending, said about 27 percent of those dollars go to locally owned small businesses, and outlined a five-year strategic plan and partnership program. The TDC also flagged sports tourism and international outreach as growth areas.
Citrus County’s Tourism Development Council presented 2024 performance numbers to the commissioners, reporting increased visitor spending, broader social-media reach and plans for a five-year strategic roadmap.
Top points: Alvis Cole, tourism director, told commissioners that 27 percent of visitor spending stays with local businesses — small, locally owned operators rather than national chains — and said the county’s social-media channels reached large audiences (he reported more than 300,000 aggregate followers and hundreds of millions of ad impressions). Cole said the TDC’s Partners in Tourism program now includes more than 81 active partners who meet monthly across the county.
Economic and job impacts: Cole said tourism supports nearly 5,000 jobs in the county and estimated each household’s tax savings from tourism at about $846 per year based on earlier state analyses; he also explained that redirecting tourism bed taxes to property tax reductions would generate smaller household benefits in the near term and risk marketing-driven declines in visitor demand over time.
Growth priorities and opportunities: The TDC director said the council plans to release a five-year strategic plan developed at a recent retreat and to continue international marketing and trade-show outreach. He and commissioners discussed sports tourism as a growth opportunity — from niche events such as drone racing and mountain biking to more traditional travel-ball tournaments — and flagged the need for additional hotel rooms as demand drivers.
Ending: Commissioners thanked the TDC for the update and suggested continued coordination on workforce, lodging and infrastructure issues as tourism grows. Cole said the TDC report is publicly available on discovercrystalriverfl.com and at the tourism office.
