More than 200 Visit Jacksonville partners attended this week’s Annual Meeting at the Jacksonville Marriott. The crowd was eager to not only learn about the great economic impact that tourism has on our city, but they were also excited to meet Daniel O’Byrne, Visit Jacksonville’s new President and CEO. It was Daniel’s third day on the job as he presented to the crowd, which in true Jacksonville style, gave him a warm welcome.

The 2010 Annual Report was unveiled during the program. A few of the highlights:

• Duval County welcomed 2.6 million overnight visitors in 2009
• Overnight visitors to Jacksonville contributed nearly $894 million in direct spending to the local economy, generating a total economic impact of $1.5 billion
• The hospitality industry generated 42,900 jobs for local workers, nearly 11% of our workforce
• Visitors paid nearly $67 million in total local taxes last year
• Visitors’ tax contributions saved each Duval County resident an estimated $173 in taxes in 2009

To learn more about Visit Jacksonville and its 2010 Annual Report, visit www.visitjacksonville.com. We look forward to hearing more from Daniel as the new Visit Jacksonville president!