A renewed sense of place

Creating an improved sense of place, a nifty new app and social media influencers were just a few of the topics that Tourism Development Director Loretta Shafer brought up at the recent Marion County Board of Commissioners visioning workshop.

Shaffer, who leads the Ocala/Marion County Visitors & Convention Bureau (OMCVCB; also referred to as the VCB), explained that ideas about future priorities emerged from talks with the Tourism Development Council (TDC) and the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) plus community workshops, focus groups and 26 one-on-one interviews in order “to advance Ocala/Marion County’s goals and strategies” for its third long-range tourism plan.

The entire process will take around four months to complete and involves collaborations with consultants at Destinations International and MMGY NextFactor to assess how Ocala/Marion County scores as a tourist destination.

While working with firms that have “extensive knowledge in tourism advancement within Florida,” the VCB also plans to collaborate with county government officials, people working in the tourism industry and anyone who would like to be a part of the conversation in the coming weeks.

Shaffer told the commissioners that she intends to have a draft of the strategic plan by September. She advocated for more hotel development, finding ways to lure visitors heading to Tampa, Orlando and Miami, and plugged the VCB’s new phone app.

The VCB’s OcalaMarion Travel Guide launched in May and is now available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Shaffer said the smartphone application is helpful to both visitors and residents.

“Users will now have fingertip access to upcoming events in the community, information about tourism-related things to do in the area along with places to stay,” she said.

Other features include self-guided tours, insider guides and itinerary building, and any tourism-related partner in Ocala/Marion County will be featured on the app.

The VCB, she said, is working on enhancing the resident and visitor experience of Ocala/Marion County, “but we’re asking residents and businesses to do the same. All our residents—hotel concierges, business owners, cashiers, wait staff, to name a few—play an integral role.”

Shaffer encourages locals to get to know the area from a visitor’s perspective.

“Download the app and be a tourist in your own town,” she said. “Be welcoming and hospitable to visitors, visit a new restaurant or go to an attraction you have never been to.”

The tourism development director also mentioned directional signage in Silver Springs as part of the “Gateway Project.”

Marion County, Shaffer noted, manages the Silver Springs CRA (community redevelopment agency), and a branding process related to directional signage is being explored.

“Because Silver Springs is Marion County’s original tourist attraction, the Gateway Project implements the vision of the Board of County Commissioners to introduce tourists to the county’s unique character by creating two sets of county line markers as well as two representative gateways for tourists driving through Marion County on I-75,” Shaffer explained.

The county line markers, currently under construction, will each stand 21 feet tall and replace the green metallic county-line signs on Interstate 75.

Also, a multipurpose facility planned for southwest Marion County could be a real “win-win-win” for the tourism industry, the parks and recreation department and emergency management, she said. Shaffer will be collaborating with Jim Couillard, director of Marion County Parks & Recreation, on the massive project in its preliminary stages. No renderings are available.

Though the VCB does not pay social content creators directly for coverage of the destination, Shafer wants to encourage more involvement with influencers.

“There are two ways that the VCB hosts these individuals—either in partnership with Visit Florida through the state travel bureau’s outreach to the OMCVCB, or directly with the media,” she said.

Once the outreach is initiated, the county’s tourism staff reviews media kits, portfolios, social profiles, past projects and promised deliverables to ensure the content creator’s audience is in line with the VCB’s strategic goals, Shaffer said.

The VCB is also launching a new funding program called the Marketing Assistance Program to support site-based businesses such as attractions, outfitters, restaurants or venues related to art, heritage, history and culture.

Shaffer said the VCB would benefit these businesses and venues by providing “marketing opportunities leveraged with the Ocala/Marion County destination brand.”

Shaffer voiced support for businesses “that provide service to visitors beyond events, and by the nature of their existence,” attract visitors to the region and, in the meantime, offer reasons for visitors to extend their stay in Marion County.

To learn more, go to ocalamarion.com