PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County tourism leaders announced Thursday 2018 was another record year. Nearly 8 million people visited the county.
"Who wouldn't want to be out here on a day like this," Nick Gold said.
RELATED: Record 126.1 million tourists visited Florida in 2018
Gold is the public relations director at EAU Palm Beach Resort and he says one of their largest amenities is tan sand and a crystal blue beach.
"The beach is the heart and soul of our resort," he said.
So when Palm Beach County closed area beaches when red tide spread to our area in October many people wondered if it would impact visitation.
"It was a blimp really," Jorge Pesquera said.
Pesquera is the President of Discover the Palm Beaches. He says once the red tide began to spread they re-branded their messaging to go "Beyond the Beaches."
"Our ability to be nimble and to work collaboratively with our friends at the Cultural Council, Sports Commission and Film and TV," Pesquera said.
The result was a $7.4 billion impact. Something EAU Palm Beach experienced as well.
"2018 was a particularly strong year for us here at EAU Palm Beach," Gold said.
But still, Pesquera says looking ahead his office is investing more into meeting and convention group sales.
"The meetings and conventions market it's an insurance policy because these meetings are scheduled a year in advance, sometimes two, three, four years in advance and it creates a baseline of business that's not going to go away because they are contracted," Pesquera said.
