Tourism In St Augustine Essay Research Paper — страница 3

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today. The economy follows the vision of Henry Flaglar and caters to tourists world wide. The majority of the economy is tourism related or supported with an abundance of accommodations, restaurants, attractions, and special events. Attractions and Special EventsThere are over 60 attractions to be seen in St. Augustine area. A few of the cities more popular attractions are Ponce de Leon s legendary Fountain of Youth Archeological Park, scenes of architectural magnificence, the St. George ST shopping district with restaurants, boutiques, galleries and the Living Museum exhibit, glimpses of history in the many Spanish houses and centuries old forts and museums, traces of yesteryear depicted through reenactment, the ever famous Alligator Farm and Marineland, and no visit would be

complete without taking a trip to Ripley s Believe It or Not. St. Augustine also has numerous natural attractions such as Guana River State Reserve, Washington Oaks Garden State Park, and the beautiful coastline of Anastasia Island. St. Augustine holds over 45 festivals and special events each year. Whimsical and beachside spectacles vary from a spring parade with horses donning Easter bonnets to beach paddle tennis tourneys and festivals of cabbage and potatoes. Most of these events deal with heritage and heroism from the colonial period. Also many of these events involve reenactments in which many local people take pride in participating. These festivals and events help to make St. Augustine such a special place. Museums and Historical SitesEverything seems to be a museum or a

historical site. This is what makes this town so unique. St. Augustine has so much culture and heritage that is preserved through the many museums and historic homes. For example, one might visit the Lightner Museum where they might observe works of art or the art work found in the cafeteria of the Flaglar College, the world s largest collection of Tiffany glass. Main Lure of Tourism and the Tourist ProfileTourists main attraction to St. Augustine is centered around the historical significance of the city. St. Augustine is North Americas oldest city and therefore a unique tourist destination. Accompanying the many historical attractions are the beautiful beaches adorning St. Augustine s coastline which offer numerous recreational possibilities. Developing a tourist profile for

St. Augustine is difficult due to the wide variety of visitors. One million seven hundred and thirty thousand travelers from all walks of life come each year to get a taste of the way life was in the early beginnings of this continent (Pasquale & Courtenay; at-a-glance, 1995). However, St. Augustine has a well defined target market. The target audience under demographics falls primary and secondary. Adults 25-49, married, with college education, employed full-time, having a household income of 30k plus make up the primary group. The secondary group includes adults 50 plus, with college education, having a household income of 25k plus. The geographic target audience is separated by domestic and international. Domestic includes travelers destined to Florida from the Southeast,

Midwest, and Northeast. Also pertinent and extremely important is the market located with in a 500 mile radius, many of Florida s schools use the destination as a learning tool for getting a closer look at history. International markets are showing an increased pre-disposition for travel to Florida, specifically targeted are the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada. Chamber of Commerce tourism director, Tica Walley, said that the city has never taken a survey to determine exactly how much revenue has been generated by tourism. The chamber uses the figures from the Bed Taxes as an indication of how much money tourism brings into the community. The Bed Taxes collected in 93/94 were $2,019,899 and in 94/95 they were $2,138,776. After twelve months of tracking, the taxes were up by

5.9%, $118,876,000 from the previous year s figures (St. Johns County TDC, 1995/1996). Restaurant and HospitalitySt. Augustine has more than 150 restaurants to experience (Pasquale & Courtenany; at-a-glance, 1995). the style of the establishments range from elegant five star restaurants to popular local fish camps for the city is well known for its fresh seafood that comes straight from the docks. St. Augustine has a lot of the restaurants associated with a well developed city however some of the better meals are had at the locally owned and operated establishments. Practically every day during the busy season one could stroll into any random pub or bar and be guaranteed to enjoy some sort of live music, whether it be a band or a street-side minstrel. St. Augustine has more