Tourism dollars plentiful in Dothan

The thought of money circulating in Dothan and Houston County puts a smile on the face of Bob Hendrix.

The thought of new money coming in, however, makes Hendrix downright giddy.

Hendrix, the executive director of the Dothan Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said more than 215 million tourism dollars were spent in Houston County in 2009, the most recent year available for statistics. The county ranked ninth in Alabama in tourism dollars spent among the 67 counties, according to a study prepared by Auburn University-Montgomery and the Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel.

Hendrix said the tourism money lowers the tax burden for local residents by $511 per year for each taxpayer.

“I can’t stress enough that this is new money coming into the area,” Hendrix said Tuesday after addressing the Dothan City Commission. “That money creates jobs. The people who get those jobs earn a paycheck and then go out and spend that money in the community and it multiplies.”

District 5 Commissioner Taylor Barbaree also pointed out that Houston County ranks first in tourism dollars spent among counties that do not have interstate access.

According to the study, most tourism dollars are spent at eating and drinking establishments, hotels and other lodging places, and transportation (gas, etc.).

Hendrix credits much of the tourism revenue to people traveling through Dothan on their way to Florida beaches, and to Dothan’s recreational facilities.

“My belief is that we have the best amateur recreation facilities in the state,” Hendrix said. “These facilities constantly bring in people who stay here, eat here and spend other money here.”

Hendrix cited the Highland Oaks Robert Trent Jones Golf Course as well as the Future Masters Golf Tournament held at Dothan Country Club as two major revenue generators. He also mentioned various facilities operated by Dothan Leisure Services, including the softball facility and Westgate Tennis Center.

Hendrix said it is important to maintain, expand and improve the facilities when possible in order to be able to continue to lure tournaments to the area. He said new and expanded facilities in other parts of the state are making it more difficult for Dothan to land tournaments that bring people into the city to stay and spend money.

Hendrix said the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine will also add to Houston County’s tourism dollars by attracting visiting lecturers, parents of students and other visitors to the area. He also said the college should be a catalyst for economic expansion in the eastern part of Dothan.

“It could blow us wide open,” Hendrix said.