By Ed Offley
Despite nagging inflation nationwide and local gasoline prices topping $4.00 per gallon, Panama City Beach has enjoyed a relatively stable 2026 tourist season, according to Tourist Development Council President Griff Grifitts.
“It has been a great season,” said Griffitts. In addition to weathering those economic headwinds, PCB – like the rest of Florida – has been blessed with the slowest hurricane season since 1960.
Last year, total visitation to the Gulf beachfront city exceeded 5 million people. A more precise measurement of tourist activity comes in the monthly tally of revenues from the 5-cent bed tax levied on tourist accommodations, Griffitts said.
Bed tax collections for the ten months ending on July 31 were $32.5 million, up 7 percent over the $30.4 million collected during the same period a year ago, he said. Monthly tax revenues for July 2026 were $8.4 million, up 13 percent over July 2025.
Another indicator of the area’s resiliency is the steadily increasing volume of travelers using Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, which is projected to surpass 2 million people this year, he said.
One reason for the stability, Griffitts told PCB Life, is that the area is still considered “an affordable destination, a very attractive destination for families.” The bulk of tourism is still centered on the five-hour “drive market” spanning Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana (six hours if you include Kentucky and Tennessee).
Even though Labor Day has come and gone, the TDC is anticipating a robust fall and winter tourist season with eight major events planned between now and New Year’s, Griffitts said.
“We have a very strong [fall and] winter market,” he said. “We have all of our winter events planned.” They include:
- October 9–11: Pirates of the High Seas and Renaissance Fest at Pier Park and Aaron Bessant Park;
- October 16–18: PCB Oktoberfest at Aaron Bessant Park;
- October 21–25: Thunder Beach Fall Motorcycle Rally at Frank Brown Park;
- November 7: Visit Panama City Beach Ironman Florida at Pie Park;
- November 12–14: Emerald Coast Cruizin’ Car Show at Aaron Bessant Park;
- Thanksgiving weekend: Beach Home for the Holidays at Aaron Bessant Park;
- December 5: PCB Marathon and 5K Race, Pier Park;
- December 31: New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop, Pier Park.
Griffitts was appointed to replace longtime TDC President Dan Rowe last March in the aftermath of a fraud scandal involving two senior staff members. To restore credibility with county residents and tourism business leaders, the TDC transferred financial oversight of its $54 million annual budget to the Bay County Clerk of Court, whose office also serves as comptroller for the county’s $700 million budget.
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