For most people who do not call our state home, when they hear “Florida” they think vacation. In fact, many have suggested half in jest that instead of the Sunshine State our nickname should be the Tourist State. One of the reasons our state can have no state personal income tax or state property tax is because of the tens of millions of tourists who visit our beaches and theme parks. However, many would be surprised to learn that Florida’s first commercial tourist attraction was not at an oceanside community or near the big mouse, but here. In Ocala.
Silver Springs was Florida’s first commercial tourist attraction. Glass-bottom boats have wowed guests since 1878. Look at the sentence again. Visitors to the Springs have been riding on glass bottom boats for 146 years! Tourists began arriving by the thousands via steamboat and railroad to tour the must-see Springs. By 1962, more than 1.5 million guests a year visited Silver Springs and ranked as Florida’s most visited destination.
The arrival of Walt Disney World in 1971 began a period of rapid decline at Silver Springs. Blame the mouse, blame poor ownership, blame changing interests. Regardless of why, the park drew fewer and fewer tourists and was converted to a state park in 2013. From an economic perspective, tourism has not been a major driver in the local economy since the early 70’s. However, that is changing.
New Players, New Opportunities
The arrival of the World Equestrian Center changed everything when it opened in late 2020. The continued growth and development of this truly one-of-a-kind complex is drawing visitors from around the world. The breadth of facilities, hotels, dining, shopping, and entertainment make it truly worthy of its recent designation by Time as one of the “World’s Greatest Places.” When taken with the addition of the Florida Aquatic Swimming and Training facility, our community once again has tourism becoming a driver of the local economy.
How do we know this? One could look at the significant year-over-year increases in the local Tourism Development Tax (bed tax) collections. Another great indicator is the number of new hotels recently opened, under construction, or slated to begin construction soon. By our count, this numbers more than a dozen additional hotels with approximately 1400 rooms. Regardless of how one measures it, tourism is growing.
Silver Springs
So where does that leave our original tourism attraction. The Springs, combined with our other natural attractions – Rainbow Springs, the Forest, Santos Trail, etc. – and our other tourism subsectors (downtown, the arts, and the rest of the equine industry form a great supporting cast). Tourists will come for WEC and stay longer for the horse farms, the downtown square, and a visit to Silver Springs. Improving each of these only makes the rest of the market stronger.
The opportunities for tourism growth at not only Silver Springs but throughout the Ocala Metro is significant. It not only allows us to share all that we enjoy about our home with others, but it helps to grow and diversify the local economy. Partnering local and state resources and local entrepreneurs is a great way for us to preserve, protect, and promote these great assets.
