While convention bookings in Jacksonville are not yet back to pre-pandemic levels, attendance in Duval County is up 45% over the first six months of the year as compared to the same time in 2021.
For the first six months of 2022, the Jacksonville convention scene has captured more than 62% of all of 2019 contracted room nights. In 2019, 62,857 was the entire year's worth of room nights, compared to 38,890 for just the first half of 2022. So far, 38,890 room nights have been contracted, compared to just 20,925 last year in the same period.
He notes that a combination of people simply wanting to be back in person and a new normal of judgement-free mask wearing is helping the success of the convention comeback.