PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla., June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Panama City Beach, Fla., was just recognized by TripAdvisor(R) as home to one of America's top beaches.
Ranking third in the U.S. on the just-released 2009 listing, the destination's St. Andrews State Recreation Area was selected based on opinions of millions of travelers worldwide and the expertise of the editors of the world's largest online travel community, TripAdvisor.com(R).
Spanning 1,260 acres in picturesque Northwest Florida, St. Andrews State Recreation Area boasts sugar-white sand overlooking the clear, emerald-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico and St. Andrew Bay. The 1.5-mile-long beach has a calm, child-friendly area, offering swimming and snorkeling in a shallow, tranquil pool, protected by jetties. Visitors can take a quick ferry ride to nearby Shell Island for more surf and sun. Hikers and birders, meanwhile, enjoy the park's 1.25 miles of pristine trails with an incredible array of plants and wildlife, including deer, egrets and graceful tropical birds. At St. Andrews, anglers enjoy surf fishing, as well as fishing off a deep-sea jetty and two piers. Concession stands and campsites also are available for lovers of the outdoors.
Panama City Beach also enjoys recognition as a premier beach destination from Conde Nast Traveler, USA Today, The Travel Channel, Southern Living, Dr. Beach and the Clean Beaches Council.
"The destination offers something for everyone," explains Dan Rowe, C.E.O., Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Our award-winning beaches and predictably sunny weather have drawn travelers for generations. Visitors here today discover a wealth of new offerings. From new restaurants, shops and nightlife venues to outdoor concerts, festivals, fishing, golfing, eco-tours and more, there's always something fun going on in Panama City Beach."
Shoppers and culinary enthusiasts here are rewarded at the new Pier Park, located in the heart of town. Spanning roughly one million-square-foot Pier Park serves up soft sea breezes and an array of unique offerings as Northwest Florida's largest shopping, dining and entertainment venue. For marine life lovers, the nearby Gulf World Marine Park delights with animal exhibits and shows as well as opportunities to swim with the dolphins. Little ones marvel at ZooWorld Zoological & Botanical Park, home to more than 250 animals, including rare and endangered species, in a lush, tropical setting. Family attractions abound, including Shipwreck Island Waterpark, one of Florida's largest theme water parks, and Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium, featuring fascinating finds from around the world.
For outdoor enthusiasts, there's world-class fishing, hiking, kayaking and more. Adventurers find plenty of ways to test their skills with Panama City Beach's full spectrum of water sports - snorkeling, diving, parasailing, skimboards, Yolo boards, wave runners and more.
To showcase the destination's many charms, the Convention and Visitors Bureau recently launched a summer-long online video contest, offering $50,000 in cash and prizes, including customized vacations to Panama City Beach. Tapping into the fast-growing popularity of online videos, the contest encourages consumers to post their original works, offering an innovative travel personality twist.
Through July 31, consumers can visit www.RealFunContest.com and take a quick quiz to determine their Panama City Beach travel personality: Eco-Seeker, Wave Warrior, After Dark Shark looking for glittery nightlife, Soul Surfer who loves long strolls on the beach, or a leader of the family-friendly Sandy Bottom Bunch. Then, they can produce an original video that showcases their unique travel personality type. The top videos will be showcased for online voting, and five winners will receive $10,000 each in cash and prizes, including five-night vacations in Panama City Beach, customized to suit their travel interests. To date, nearly 2,000 people from around the country have taken the destination's travel personality quick quiz.
With so much to offer, it's no surprise that Panama City Beach attracts visitors from around the globe. Even more travelers are about to discover this Florida gem thanks to a new international airport slated to make its debut in the spring 2010. The airport's opening will increase accessibility to Panama City Beach for travelers nationally and internationally. With myriad green features incorporated into its design and construction, the airport aims to be the first in the U.S. to receive LEED certification.
About Panama City Beach
Panama City Beach boasts 27 miles of sugar-white sand beaches bordering the clear, emerald-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico and St. Andrews Bay. The Northwest Florida community is home to St. Andrew's State Park, a Top Three beach on the 2009 TripAdvisor list of America's best beaches. Panama City Beach also enjoys recognition as a premier beach destination by Conde Nast Traveler, The Travel Channel, USA Today, Southern Living, Dr. Beach and the Clean Beaches Council. Family attractions, championship golf courses, sporting events, award-winning dining, predictably sunny weather and a vast number of recreational activities draw visitors to this seaside community.
Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Panama City Beach - Angler catches 700-pound blue marlin, breaks record
Panama City Beach / SANDESTIN - Chip Temple's first major fishing tournament experience is one he'll never forget.
In an article from the News Herald…
An admitted outsider when it comes to fishing's biggest stages, Temple hooked, battled and helped reel in a 714.7-pound, 121.5-inch blue marlin to help the crew of the Jasper Time shatter the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic record
"We fought about 100 runs from her," said Temple, who battled the marlin for eight hours before the crew finally hauled it on board.
The crowd spilled down the Baytowne Marina's pier in anticipation to see the massive fish hoisted up by its tail fin and weighed, a process that took three people. When the total weight flashed on the screen, cheers and cries of disbelief erupted from the crowd.
The marlin beat out the previous record of 692.6 pounds set in 2006 and far outpaced the 566.8-pound average for the tourney winner.
The record-setting catch cruised to first place and will earn the crew at least $167,000 in prize money. The 67-boat event carried a total purse of $1.3 million.
The five-man team consisted of owner Mark Wallace, captain Tommy Bradon and mates Ed Gobel, Matthew Pearson and Temple.
"That's a once-in-a-lifetime fish," Pearson said. "That's not one you catch every day, that's for sure. That's a fish you dream of your whole life. Especially in a tournament and getting to bring it back and show it off to everybody."
And show off they did.
Wallace said the 160-foot Jasper Time, which harbors at the Marabella Yacht Club in Destin, was almost 130 miles into the Gulf of Mexico when they finally hooked the marlin at about 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
The crew had started casting at daybreak, and when the big fish bit it was Stockbridge, Ga. native Temple's turn in the fishing chair. The chair is mounted on the back deck of the boat and the angler hooks into the massive fishing pole.
With Temple, 33, all but locked into his position, he endured an eight-hour battle with the marlin before the crew finally hauled it in at about 9:30 p.m. on Friday night. They rode overnight back to Sandestin.
"Yeah, I was kind of tired," Temple said. "But we were all pleased with the effort."
The Jasper Time crew reeled in the marlin with just five men on board, which Wallace said was a small group for this kind of event.
While Temple spent eight hours in the chair physically attached to the 80 Wide fishing reel, one mate tended the line and another stood behind Temple to pivot the chair as needed. Wallace filmed the event and Bradon ran the boat.
"You don't have any back-up," Wallace said. "Normally you have at least two anglers and a film man and two crew plus a captain, so we were a little shorthanded."
The crew happened upon the marlin at Lloyd's Ridge deep out to sea, which was where the crew purposefully headed following Thursday's 7 p.m. start time after satellite reports showed favorable fishing conditions there. A break between blue and green water pushed water currents together, which made for plentiful fishing, Wallace said.
"We were right where we wanted to be," Pearson said.
And when the marlin bit on a tuna line, the lightest gear the team had, Wallace knew the team had a battle on their hands.
"We knew we were in trouble," Wallace said. "We saw her way off, and we saw her come out of the water one time; that's the only time she jumped. And then she just stayed down the rest of the time, so we couldn't put a lot of heat on her, so we just had to slowly, eight hours later, work her up."
The fish latched onto a 200-pound leader with a circle hook, which caught the crew by surprise as they were looking for much lighter tuna with that line. To catch the fish, the team used a naked ballyhoo rig, or a large lure without a skirt attached. Wallace said crews usually need leaders at least twice as heavy to reel in marlin of that size.
The process of getting the massive fish into the boat would have been laborious even if the crew hadn't just been wrestling with it for eight hours. After Temple's fishing acumen helped get the fish up on the back door of the boat, the remaining four crewmembers wrapped a bloodied t-shirt around its bill and hauled it on board, making for a happy but exhausted night's sleep.
"They all got together, and a lot of adrenaline and a couple of heave ho's and pulled it up," Temple said.
Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation
In an article from the News Herald…
An admitted outsider when it comes to fishing's biggest stages, Temple hooked, battled and helped reel in a 714.7-pound, 121.5-inch blue marlin to help the crew of the Jasper Time shatter the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic record
"We fought about 100 runs from her," said Temple, who battled the marlin for eight hours before the crew finally hauled it on board.
The crowd spilled down the Baytowne Marina's pier in anticipation to see the massive fish hoisted up by its tail fin and weighed, a process that took three people. When the total weight flashed on the screen, cheers and cries of disbelief erupted from the crowd.
The marlin beat out the previous record of 692.6 pounds set in 2006 and far outpaced the 566.8-pound average for the tourney winner.
The record-setting catch cruised to first place and will earn the crew at least $167,000 in prize money. The 67-boat event carried a total purse of $1.3 million.
The five-man team consisted of owner Mark Wallace, captain Tommy Bradon and mates Ed Gobel, Matthew Pearson and Temple.
"That's a once-in-a-lifetime fish," Pearson said. "That's not one you catch every day, that's for sure. That's a fish you dream of your whole life. Especially in a tournament and getting to bring it back and show it off to everybody."
And show off they did.
Wallace said the 160-foot Jasper Time, which harbors at the Marabella Yacht Club in Destin, was almost 130 miles into the Gulf of Mexico when they finally hooked the marlin at about 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
The crew had started casting at daybreak, and when the big fish bit it was Stockbridge, Ga. native Temple's turn in the fishing chair. The chair is mounted on the back deck of the boat and the angler hooks into the massive fishing pole.
With Temple, 33, all but locked into his position, he endured an eight-hour battle with the marlin before the crew finally hauled it in at about 9:30 p.m. on Friday night. They rode overnight back to Sandestin.
"Yeah, I was kind of tired," Temple said. "But we were all pleased with the effort."
The Jasper Time crew reeled in the marlin with just five men on board, which Wallace said was a small group for this kind of event.
While Temple spent eight hours in the chair physically attached to the 80 Wide fishing reel, one mate tended the line and another stood behind Temple to pivot the chair as needed. Wallace filmed the event and Bradon ran the boat.
"You don't have any back-up," Wallace said. "Normally you have at least two anglers and a film man and two crew plus a captain, so we were a little shorthanded."
The crew happened upon the marlin at Lloyd's Ridge deep out to sea, which was where the crew purposefully headed following Thursday's 7 p.m. start time after satellite reports showed favorable fishing conditions there. A break between blue and green water pushed water currents together, which made for plentiful fishing, Wallace said.
"We were right where we wanted to be," Pearson said.
And when the marlin bit on a tuna line, the lightest gear the team had, Wallace knew the team had a battle on their hands.
"We knew we were in trouble," Wallace said. "We saw her way off, and we saw her come out of the water one time; that's the only time she jumped. And then she just stayed down the rest of the time, so we couldn't put a lot of heat on her, so we just had to slowly, eight hours later, work her up."
The fish latched onto a 200-pound leader with a circle hook, which caught the crew by surprise as they were looking for much lighter tuna with that line. To catch the fish, the team used a naked ballyhoo rig, or a large lure without a skirt attached. Wallace said crews usually need leaders at least twice as heavy to reel in marlin of that size.
The process of getting the massive fish into the boat would have been laborious even if the crew hadn't just been wrestling with it for eight hours. After Temple's fishing acumen helped get the fish up on the back door of the boat, the remaining four crewmembers wrapped a bloodied t-shirt around its bill and hauled it on board, making for a happy but exhausted night's sleep.
"They all got together, and a lot of adrenaline and a couple of heave ho's and pulled it up," Temple said.
Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Panama City Beach – Baby It’s Hot Outside
Panama City Beach – Thursday June 18, 7pm till?
Ladies it is time to slip into your favorite little sun dress for a steamy night out upstairs at the Boatyard.
Clill off with a complementary glass of champagne and a gift bag full of goodies for ladies in sun dresses
$3 drink specials, $2 beer and free hors d’oeuvres for ladies in sun dresses.
Music by - DJ Valdi!
Little sun dress raffle:
- Win a little sun dress from Envy of Panama City Beach
- Win a wedding set from Maharaja’s of PCB
Raffle proceeds go to the American Cancer Society to fight Breast Cancer.
Call (850) -249-9273 for more details.
Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation
Ladies it is time to slip into your favorite little sun dress for a steamy night out upstairs at the Boatyard.
Clill off with a complementary glass of champagne and a gift bag full of goodies for ladies in sun dresses
$3 drink specials, $2 beer and free hors d’oeuvres for ladies in sun dresses.
Music by - DJ Valdi!
Little sun dress raffle:
- Win a little sun dress from Envy of Panama City Beach
- Win a wedding set from Maharaja’s of PCB
Raffle proceeds go to the American Cancer Society to fight Breast Cancer.
Call (850) -249-9273 for more details.
Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Panama City Beach – TDC Fall Ad Campaign You can Help!
Panama City Beach – The Tourist Development Commission is trying to determine the focus of the fall / winter ad campaign.
I would like to get your ideas for ad themes as well as the best place to run the ads. Most of you come to our condos through VRBO.
How do you decide on Panama City Beach?
What would help someone decide on Panama City Beach instead of Destin or Gulf Shores?
I am sure that the people reading this blog have lots to offer.
How do we reach visitors interested in a fall break beach trip to PCB?
How do we attract families with kids that are not in school?
How do we attract adults with no kids that are interested in a fall beach vacation?
I will submit your ideas to the TDC.
All comments are appreciated.
www.bestpanamacitybeachcondo.com
I would like to get your ideas for ad themes as well as the best place to run the ads. Most of you come to our condos through VRBO.
How do you decide on Panama City Beach?
What would help someone decide on Panama City Beach instead of Destin or Gulf Shores?
I am sure that the people reading this blog have lots to offer.
How do we reach visitors interested in a fall break beach trip to PCB?
How do we attract families with kids that are not in school?
How do we attract adults with no kids that are interested in a fall beach vacation?
I will submit your ideas to the TDC.
All comments are appreciated.
www.bestpanamacitybeachcondo.com
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Panama City Beach Marketing Efforts
PANAMA CITY BEACH — If you build it, will they come?
Take a look at this article from the news Herald. How can the TDC improve their efforts to sell PCB? I think they wait too long to start. For instance they should start the summer campaign on April not June. I think people plan ahead. Other ideas or comments? Have you seen the new ads? I have see some on TV in Nashville.
That's the unspoken 800-pound question hanging in the air as the Bay County Tourist Development Council contemplates the construction of its aggressive new summer marketing campaign and peers - squinting - toward the fall.
To put it another way: Are they erecting their faith on rock, or sand?
Lee Ann Leonard of By the Sea Resorts appreciates the TDC's new television commercial promoting vacation opportunities along Panama City Beach, but she wishes the marketing could be more targeted.
After a 6 percent drop in room rentals during the first quarter of this year, she's a little nervous as the Beach moves into its summer tourist season and then fast-pedals into the fall.
"We are definitely pacing behind last year," she said. "One thing that has been a premier generator for us has been the special events. The special events really draw people here."
She mentioned the New Year's Eve celebration at Pier Park, the Seabreeze Jazz Festival in mid-April and the promotion of Valentine's Day along the beach. Individual events help set Panama City Beach apart from other destinations, she said.
"Special events really give people that extra reason to come here," said Leonard, general manager of By the Sea Resorts and a member of the TDC's marketing committee.
These and other concerns will be on the table at a marketing committee meeting Tuesday called to discuss the TDC's marketing approach for the fall and winter seasons.
Committee Chairman Buddy Wilkes, of Shipwreck Island Waterpark, said he is eager to hear from various business owners about the state of current and future marketing efforts.
"I would like to get some feedback from both the audience and the committee," Wilkes said.
Of particular concern to Wilkes, he said, are potential target audiences for any future marketing campaigns, particularly in the fall and winter. In the past, he had an 80 percent return rate for his customers. Now, about 50 percent of his patrons are new customers.
"These are the people we need to know about," he said. "I think that's happening all along the beach. We are in that type of a transition."
TDC executive director Dan Rowe said that with the new influx of funds generated by the recent passage of an additional 2-cent bed tax, the Beach is primed to deploy some new marketing muscle, especially for the fall and winter.
The June and July period make up about 40 percent of the Beach's yearly revenue, and this area will continue to draw visitors over the summer, he said. "People almost consider that a constitutional right."
"Clearly we do well with the summer vacationers," Rowe said, noting that Tuesday's marketing committee meeting will be the first step in tweaking the summer program into a larger fall campaign. "Now we have a great opportunity to get people here the rest of the year."
The launch of the TDC's summer marketing effort has included a re-design of its Web site, visitpanamacitybeach.com, and a rebranding effort highlighted by the production of a new television commercial, now appearing in selected Southeastern markets.
The campaign, tagged with the slogan Real.Fun.Beach., has attempted to promote Panama City Beach as a year-round designation, Rowe said.
"Fall is a perfect time to come down," he said. "We want to create a whole experience of events. We want potential visitors to know that you can always find something fun to do."
Leonard said she hopes the TDC's marketing efforts do not fall prey to a blandness that fails to distinguish Panama City Beach from other destinations. The competition between vacation spots is becoming fierce, she said, with room rates dropping in a climate dominated by crafty shoppers.
"I think we need to be more specific, to differentiate our beaches from other beaches," she said. "It is critical to get more people here. When people are forced to drop their rates, everyone is losing."
One suggestion Leonard had was a micro-targeted campaign of banner advertising on popular Internet sites such as Facebook.
Wilkes said the TDC also needed to cast its marketing eyes - and dollars - toward the opening of the new Panama City-Bay County International Airport.
"We need to be looking at new markets that will be meaningful to the new airport," he said. "Wisconsin and Michigan used to be real strong in the winter. But Michigan could be really impacted with the auto situation. There could be a market in Minnesota, as well."
Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation
Take a look at this article from the news Herald. How can the TDC improve their efforts to sell PCB? I think they wait too long to start. For instance they should start the summer campaign on April not June. I think people plan ahead. Other ideas or comments? Have you seen the new ads? I have see some on TV in Nashville.
That's the unspoken 800-pound question hanging in the air as the Bay County Tourist Development Council contemplates the construction of its aggressive new summer marketing campaign and peers - squinting - toward the fall.
To put it another way: Are they erecting their faith on rock, or sand?
Lee Ann Leonard of By the Sea Resorts appreciates the TDC's new television commercial promoting vacation opportunities along Panama City Beach, but she wishes the marketing could be more targeted.
After a 6 percent drop in room rentals during the first quarter of this year, she's a little nervous as the Beach moves into its summer tourist season and then fast-pedals into the fall.
"We are definitely pacing behind last year," she said. "One thing that has been a premier generator for us has been the special events. The special events really draw people here."
She mentioned the New Year's Eve celebration at Pier Park, the Seabreeze Jazz Festival in mid-April and the promotion of Valentine's Day along the beach. Individual events help set Panama City Beach apart from other destinations, she said.
"Special events really give people that extra reason to come here," said Leonard, general manager of By the Sea Resorts and a member of the TDC's marketing committee.
These and other concerns will be on the table at a marketing committee meeting Tuesday called to discuss the TDC's marketing approach for the fall and winter seasons.
Committee Chairman Buddy Wilkes, of Shipwreck Island Waterpark, said he is eager to hear from various business owners about the state of current and future marketing efforts.
"I would like to get some feedback from both the audience and the committee," Wilkes said.
Of particular concern to Wilkes, he said, are potential target audiences for any future marketing campaigns, particularly in the fall and winter. In the past, he had an 80 percent return rate for his customers. Now, about 50 percent of his patrons are new customers.
"These are the people we need to know about," he said. "I think that's happening all along the beach. We are in that type of a transition."
TDC executive director Dan Rowe said that with the new influx of funds generated by the recent passage of an additional 2-cent bed tax, the Beach is primed to deploy some new marketing muscle, especially for the fall and winter.
The June and July period make up about 40 percent of the Beach's yearly revenue, and this area will continue to draw visitors over the summer, he said. "People almost consider that a constitutional right."
"Clearly we do well with the summer vacationers," Rowe said, noting that Tuesday's marketing committee meeting will be the first step in tweaking the summer program into a larger fall campaign. "Now we have a great opportunity to get people here the rest of the year."
The launch of the TDC's summer marketing effort has included a re-design of its Web site, visitpanamacitybeach.com, and a rebranding effort highlighted by the production of a new television commercial, now appearing in selected Southeastern markets.
The campaign, tagged with the slogan Real.Fun.Beach., has attempted to promote Panama City Beach as a year-round designation, Rowe said.
"Fall is a perfect time to come down," he said. "We want to create a whole experience of events. We want potential visitors to know that you can always find something fun to do."
Leonard said she hopes the TDC's marketing efforts do not fall prey to a blandness that fails to distinguish Panama City Beach from other destinations. The competition between vacation spots is becoming fierce, she said, with room rates dropping in a climate dominated by crafty shoppers.
"I think we need to be more specific, to differentiate our beaches from other beaches," she said. "It is critical to get more people here. When people are forced to drop their rates, everyone is losing."
One suggestion Leonard had was a micro-targeted campaign of banner advertising on popular Internet sites such as Facebook.
Wilkes said the TDC also needed to cast its marketing eyes - and dollars - toward the opening of the new Panama City-Bay County International Airport.
"We need to be looking at new markets that will be meaningful to the new airport," he said. "Wisconsin and Michigan used to be real strong in the winter. But Michigan could be really impacted with the auto situation. There could be a market in Minnesota, as well."
Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation
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