PANAMA CITY BEACH — Visitors are flocking to Panama City Beach in droves this summer despite the unsavory national publicity the destination received earlier this year.
“With the negative Fox News report, all that stuff that had everyone in such an uproar, it had no negative effect,” said John Gheesling, owner of Bikini Beach Motel in Panama City Beach. “The number of families, the number of softball teams coming in, it’s record numbers.”
Gheesling reported 90 to 100 percent occupancy at Bikini Beach in June and July, about a 10 percent improvement over last year. July and June are Gheesling’s two biggest revenue months, followed closely by March, which accounts for about 20 to 25 percent of the annual revenue at the “Spring Break-friendly” motel.
“We’re Spring Break-friendly; we’re snowbird-friendly; we’re family-friendly,” said Gheesling, adding that seasonal marketing is an important part of Bikini Beach’s sales plan as a smaller motel. “We’re not a mom-and-pop motel, but we’re not a Marriott with 300 rooms either.”
The Bay County Tourist Development Council (TDC) reported an 8 percent increase in tourist development tax collections, or bed tax collections in May. Collection numbers for June will be reported at the TDC’s next meeting Aug. 12.
For the Resort Collection, one of the largest vacation rental companies on the beach, the July 4 weekend led to a sales feat rarely accomplished in the industry.
“We were absolutely sold out of every property we had on July 4, and perfect sales are very hard to do in our world,” said company vice president of sales and marketing Paul Wohlford. “It’s rare. It happens, but it’s rare.”
The Resort Collection manages properties at 10 locations on the beach, including Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort, Long Beach Resort, Majestic Beach Resort, Summit Beach Resort and Shores of Panama.
Panama City
“We had some people that did cancel after the Hannity piece rolled out; they said it’s just not a place we want to bring our teenage kids,” he said. “I’d love Hannity to come down and spend a few weeks in the summertime when there’s family and fun.
“Summer is the summer here, and it’s that Southern summer beach tradition that keeps people coming back.”