Monday, October 26, 2009

The 46th Annual Apalachicola Seafood Festival

The Florida Seafood Festival is a 2 day event annually drawing thousands of visitors to the historic town of Apalachicola in scenic Franklin County. The Festival is held at the mouth of the Apalachicola river under the shady oaks of Apalachicola's Battery Park. The festival features delicious seafood, arts and crafts exhibits, seafood related events, and musical entertainment. Some of the notable events include Oyster Eating and Oyster Shucking contest, Blue Crab Races, Cooking Contest, Parade, 5k Redfish Run and The Blessing of the Fleet. This year, SGIVP is working hand in hand with the Seafood Festival committee in a "In Your Dreams" giveaway. Tickets can be acquired from the t-shirt booth for a $1.00 donation to the ABC School. All funds raised are donated to the ABC School. Drawing to be held Saturday, November 7th by Miss Florida Seafood before the Tracey Lawrence concert, and announced at that time from the main stage. Here is a direct link from the Seafood Festival website. http://www.floridaseafoodfestival.com/SGIVPinyourdreams.html

Friday, October 23, 2009

More Flights To Our Area May Boost Tourism

For more information, please contact:
Franklin County Tourist Development Council Administrative Office 850-653-8678

Southwest Airlines' Arrival To Boost Tourism in Franklin County

Southwest Airlines will soon begin flying the North Florida skies, thanks, in part, to the efforts of a seven county tourism and economic development group, of which the Franklin County Tourist Development Council (FCTDC) is a member.

Coastal Vision 3000, which markets the Northwest Florida region as "THE Beach," has been wooing Southwest Airlines for years. Southwest this week announced its plan to start flying from the new Panama City International Airport when it opens in May 2010. On the local level, Franklin County tourist officials have already begun to target airports in both Panama City and Tallahassee to tap into this regional marketing effort.

"Within this region, we have the best venue for nature-based tourism as well as uncrowded beaches, lighthouses and a variety of historical and cultural attractions," says Helen Spohrer, Chairman FCTDC. "Southwest Airlines and the new international airport will make Franklin County more accessible to the world."

From Southwest Airlines' Blog, BlogSouthwest.com:

"We're bringing low fares and GREAT service to the land of sugar-white-sand beaches, incredibly gentle blue waters, and an amazing variety of visitor accommodations just in time for vacation season, Summer, 2010! Up until Southwest's arrival, this part of Northwest Florida has been plagued by high fares and a lack of full-sized airline service. We're going to change that. Southwest's entry into the Panama City market will make it possible for all of America to experience the incredible beauty of Northwest Florida!"

Southwest officials say the airline plans to make a substantial commitment to providing affordable and consistent air travel to the Northwest Florida market. According to Bob Montgomery, vice-president of properties at Southwest Airlines who attended the press event in Panama City last week, "We will be bringing two daily flights from four destinations which makes eight non-stop flights. That's almost 2,000 seats coming into the Northwest Florida region every day. By December you'll have an announcement on fares and schedules and by May 2010 you'll see our canyon-blue jets flying over your white, sandy beach and clear waters."

Coastal Vision 3000 Chairman Buddy Runnels calls Southwest Airlines' announcement "a game changer" for tourism and economic development in Northwest Florida. "The Northwest Florida business community, from Perdido Key/Pensacola to Carrabelle, has a lot to be proud of... this is a great day for our entire region," he said.

About Coastal Vision 3000

Coastal Vision 3000 is a membership organization of regional stewards representing tourism and economic development interests in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf and Franklin counties. Business and community leaders established the organization to create a consistent, branded identity for the seven-county region to increase national and international awareness, support local tourism and economic development professionals, and grow the market.

Franklin County's Tourist Development Council joined the organization in 2008. There are ten tourist-related businesses or organizations in the county that are also members of THE Beach including the Apalachicola Bay Chamber, Camp Gordon Johnston, Carrabelle Chamber, Collins Vacation Rentals, Franklin County Tourist Development Council, Prudential Shimmering Sands (St. George), Resort Vacation Properties, St. James Bay Golf, Apalachicola Photo Tours, Sandy Beach Realty and Water Street Hotel and Marina.




Post Office Box 819 • Apalachicola, Florida 32329
17 1/2 Avenue E • Apalachicola, Florida 32320
866.914.2068
850.653.8678

Wednesday, October 21, 2009


Hey, Glynis from St. George Island Vacation Properties, welcome to the homeowner's blog. My goal is to: update you on your rental property, events coming to our area, connect with other homeowners, and keep you updated on how our company is striving to maximize rentals on St. George Island. I will also be uploading pictures of the island!

We have a number of projects in the works. We want to show our homeowners that we have their best interest at heart, and our guests that we are the Premier Company on St. George Island. A couple of new additions have been added to our website. For starters, we recently added a webcam, and it has been quite a hit with our guests! Not only do they get to see what the weather is like, but it also makes them want to visit more often! Another feature is the option to chat with a live reservationist. Last but not least, we have incorporated a life like avatar of myself with my voice updating visitors to our site about our specials, calendar of events, weather and charities we are partnering with to help make a difference.

I invite you to suscribe to our homeowner's blog. I would like to get to know you, and hear any suggestions you may have for us. Also, if you are not an existing homeowner with SGIVP, but are interested in joining our family you are welcome to suscribe, pass the word around. We like to work hand in hand with our homeowners, and strive to keep them informed in any way we can.