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Visit Saint Pete Clearwater survey finds broad resident support for tourism, but many worry about environmental and cultural impacts
Summary
A countywide survey of more than 1,200 Pinellas County residents found strong recognition that tourism fuels the local economy and jobs, while significant shares express concern about impacts on natural resources and community culture; Visit Saint Pete Clearwater will use the findings to target resident messaging and refine outreach.
Visit Saint Pete Clearwater on Wednesday presented results of a resident sentiment survey of roughly 1,200 Pinellas County residents, saying large majorities view tourism as an economic benefit even as many express concern about environmental and cultural impacts.
Kylie Diaz, vice president of community engagement, and Eddie Kirsch, director of digital and data, told the Tourism Development Council the study sampled six geographic regions, weighted responses to reflect population differences and supplemented the survey with video interviews for qualitative context. "We wanted to take a pulse of residents about tourism, what matters most to them and where we can improve," Diaz said.
Kirsch said headline findings include: 89% of respondents believe tourism is important to Pinellas County’s economy; 81% said tourism provides jobs to residents; and 7 in 10 said tourism makes the county a better place to live. At the same time, 52% of respondents said tourism negatively affects natural resources and 53% said they were worried about tourism’s impact on community culture.
The presenters said about 73% of respondents were aware of Visit Saint Pete Clearwater as an organization; of those, roughly 60% reported they were extremely or very familiar. Kirsch added the survey found regional variation: beach communities tended to report higher agreement that jobs were available and pay well, while some inland areas showed less awareness that restaurant and retail roles are part of the tourism economy.
Board members discussed using the results to tailor resident-facing campaigns. Chuck Prather encouraged reserving funds for a focused outreach that explains how visitor dollars support local services; Brian (representing Visit Saint Pete Clearwater) and Diaz said past campaigns such as "Follow the Dollar" and the current "Visitors With Love" messaging are part of that effort and will be refined regionally.
When asked about methodology, presenters said the survey was conducted by Future Partners using an online panel supplemented by outreach via email and social platforms; respondents could opt in to recorded interviews for deeper insights. "We combined the quantitative results with video interviews to understand why people felt the way they did," Kirsch said.
Speakers flagged short-term rentals and out-of-area vacation rentals as sources of friction in residential neighborhoods. Board members recommended working with chambers of commerce and municipal elected officials to increase local awareness of tourism-funded projects such as beach renourishment and capital investments.
Visit Saint Pete Clearwater said the findings will inform targeted resident messaging by geography and audience and help measure improvements in future surveys. The council did not take any formal votes on the survey during the meeting.
