Alabama Beaches report over $2B in lodging, retail spending in 2025

Visitor spending at Alabama beaches hit new highs in 2025 according to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism (GSOBT).

At the tourism agency’s annual summit, the group reported a record $923 million in visitor spending on lodging rentals and retail sales of $1.42 billion at Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan.

The group also emphasized that the beaches are becoming a destination for more than just the summer with consistent visitor numbers throughout the year.

“Data from the past three years shows that while summer is still king, spring and fall visitation are holding steady across both vacation rentals and hotels, with minimal variances, year-over-year… This shows that our efforts to continuously tell the story of Alabama’s Beaches as a great year-round vacation destination are working. Having strong visitation in all seasons is vital to our local businesses because consistent occupancy levels throughout the year mean they can keep their staff employed all year, which means those workers can deliver consistent, friendly service to our guests no matter which season they visit us.” 

Beth Gendler, GSOBT President + CEO

GSOBT reported visitor spending on lodging rentals on Alabama’s Beaches was well above 2024’s mark of $871 million and more than double what the total lodging revenue was just 10 years ago.

In addition, nights available for the vacation rental segment increased again over both 2023 and 2024, showing the impact of increased inventory.

Taxable retail sales reached above $1.3 billion for the fifth consecutive year. While 2025 fell just short of the record set in 2023, GSOBT has now reported over $7 billion in taxable retail sales since 2021.

Final numbers of complete economic impact are expected to be available later this spring. You can find the complete presentations from this year’s tourism summit on the GSOBT website.

Herbert J. Malone Sportsplex

A large part of the summit included an update from Michelle Russ, the GSOBT Vice President of Sales, Sports & Events. She gave an update on the planned Herbert J. Malone Sportsplex.

There is still no set timetable for construction on the facility but plans for the site continue to develop. Russ said zoning applications and documentation plans have been submitted. The proposed 111-acre site would include:

• Outdoor baseball, softball + soccer fields
• Open green space
• Public-use walking path
• Minimal light pollution plan

GSOBT points to the continued growth of the sports tourism industry as well as increased local school and recreation programs as a reason for building additional sports facilities.

New tourism initiatives

The agency also introduced two new initiatives at the summit.

One is called By Locals, For Locals which is a resident-focused destination stewardship program. It includes a dedicated website designed to be a go-to resource for people who call Alabama beaches their home.

The site includes information on:

• Community events
• Local resources
• Local favorites
• Special discounts
• Job listings
• Peak occupancy time

There is also a new GSOBT online store called Shoreline Supply with branded merchandise.

“From a destination marketing perspective, merchandising is more strategic than it looks on the surface. For us, it is not about selling T-shirts. It is about brand reinforcement, demand generation, advocacy, and economic impact. When someone wears an Alabama’s Beaches t-shirt, it becomes a walking billboard, it sparks conversation, reinforces memory recall, creates peer-to-peer recommendation, and triggers repeat visitation. Buying merchandise from a place you feel connected to deepens the emotional attachment; it signals belonging, and it turns visitors into ambassadors.”

Crystal Hinds, GSOBT Vice President of Marketing

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