“Last year, over six million people visited us,” began Herb Malone, president and CEO of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism, during the Leadership Luncheon with the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce on April 18. “That means over six million people sat around a table after Christmas dinner maybe and decided as a family, ‘Where are we going on vacation this year? … Mountains, beach Disney, cruises …’

“At some point, they narrowed it down into, ‘What beach are we doing to? What are we going to do when we get there?’ Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you, those six million people who came to visit last year are the most special because of all those places they could’ve chosen, they chose to come here. To Foley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan or wherever they stay, wherever they recreate, they came here to spend not only their money, but a more precious item than that: their time — their family time.”

During Malone’s annual tourism update, he discussed numbers and money, but reminded the audience one thing:

“Tourism and all of its components, whether it be lodging, restaurants, retail, attractions, it’s all about the people,” he said. “It’s the people that matter. It’s the people that are the customers, and it’s the people who are serving those customers.”
Malone explained the State of Alabama Department of Tourism uses economists from Auburn University at Montgomery to report the economic development of tourism throughout the year.

In 2015, over 6.1 million guests visited Baldwin County. Over $1.3 billion was earned in wages and salaries. Last year, there were over 49,544 travel-related jobs and visitors spent $4.2 billion dollars before they left.

“The wealth of this dollar spend by these tourists in this region is what spreads the wealth in this region,” Malone said.

Malone progressed the audience on the program Leave Only Footprints.

“You cannot leave items on the beach overnight,” he said. “And there are a lot of good reasons for that. One, which is when it is high-tourist season, it’s high-nesting season for sea turtles.”

All the sea turtles nesting on the beaches are endangered species. This program also improves the aesthetics of the beach.

“Is it an inconvenience to put up and take down your tent every day? Yes,” Malone said. “But there’s a lot of great things that come because of a little inconvenience.”

In 2012, there were 148 nests on Alabama beaches. Last year, the first year of Leave Only Footprints, that number jumped to 239.

The only constant in life is change, and there have been some “game changers” in this county that have produced the last six years of record numbers.

The Gulf State Park Lodge is scheduled to open May 2018. I addition to the lodge, there are numerous other components, like an interpretive center, a walkway over Perdido Beach Boulevard that connects to the current trail system, an education building and more.

“OWA,” Malone began, “what a great thing that is. If there’s ever been a game changer in this community on the positive side — you can talk about Ivans and Frederics and all those game changers — but these are the things that are really going to give us that boost to being a year-round destination for the whole region.”

The first year the Hangout Music Festival was planned was May 2010.

“Who remembers what happened in April 2010?” Malone said. “But Shaul (Zislin) was brave enough to go ahead and put it on in spite of that, and this will be its eighth year. Memorial Day was one of our big three weekends, and now we have four big weekends.”

In 2016, 103,562 room nights were spent in hotels for sports events. SportsTravel magazine named the inaugural NCAA Beach Volleyball National Championship the “Best New Event” for 2016.

“We’ve been hosting this for three years on a hope and a prayer that we would get to host the championship one day, knowing when it happened, we’d be bidding against places in California and south Florida,” Malone said. “Because of the hospitality shown those three years, overall, the scene and everything, it came to be and that was historic. NCAA doesn’t just start events like that every year.”

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism started with a two-year contract, and before Malone stepped on stage, he received news the contract received a five-year extension.

NAIA has three national championships at the beach right now: boys track and field, girls track and field and soccer.

The USSSA World Series has called the Gulf Coast home for several years, and the SEC Women’s Soccer in October and November, has been in the area for 14 years.

Other events in the off season, include the Oyster Cook-Off and the World Food Championship.

“This is putting our area on the national and international map with foodies,” Malone said. “People come from 14 different countries and 48 states. The winner goes home with $100,000, and we have a five-year contract on that event.

Year-to-date numbers, March 2016 over March 2017, were up 7.4 percent for lodging tax and up 7.7 percent in retail.

“People come back because of the way they were treated,” Malone said. “It’s not just the hotel or restaurant business, it’s every one of you.”

To conclude, Malone read an email from a family that visited Orange Beach from Indiana on Spring Break. The letter read that southern hospitality was shown at Publix, the local Walmart, the unfortunate visit to the urgent care, gift shops … everywhere.

“People were so genuine, kind and respectful,” it read. “My kids were equally parts confused and amazed when we crossed the Foley Beach Express, and the toll booth operators were kind; they smiled.

“You should be so proud of your community, the people that work and live there. You are all doing everything right in your community.”

The letter concluded with the family stating this was going to be their annual Spring Break destination.

Malone finished, “That’s what it’s all about folks.”