Baldwin County would not be what it is without its tourism and hospitality industry, and this sector was anything but stagnant this year.
From infrastructure and amenities to economic impact, here are some top storylines connected the millions of people who visit the Alabama Gulf Coast each year.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
With an area that attracts 6 to 8 million visitors a year, there is a need for a reliable workforce to serve the needs of tourists and locals.

A key component to attracting and retaining employees is having affordable housing solutions. In August, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Holtz Companies and the city of Foley broke ground on an $18 million seasonal workforce campus in Foley.

The first phase of the residential campus project includes two 37,500-square-foot dorm-style buildings. Each building will include beds for 300, a large communal kitchen, laundry facility and gathering spaces.

The housing will be available to international students participating in the U.S. Summer Work Travel program (J-1 Visa), H2B Visa program and others.

PLACES TO STAY
With a workforce ready to support an influx of visitors and locals alike, continued growth in Baldwin County means people need places to stay while they're here.

OWA Parks & Resort will see more construction in 2024 as the Poarch Band of Creek Indians announced plans for a $50 million resort-style hotel in November. The tropical-themed resort-style hotel will give visitors a second lodging option on the OWA property. Plans call for the hotel to break ground in 2024 and open in May 2025.

Also in November, developers broke ground in Gulf Shores on the much-anticipated Embassy Suites on Nov. 3, a $85 million mixed-use development project that has been in the works since 2018. The eight-story property will include 257 all-suite beachfront rooms, a lobby bar and restaurant, rooftop terrace, bar and grille, pool deck, outdoor entertainment venue, 13,620 square feet of meeting space, a ballroom and a three-story parking garage.

The resort will also feature 7,618 square feet of leasable retail space and the first-ever Starbucks in Gulf Shores.

The resort, which will be at 112 W. Beach Blvd., is just steps away from the newly renovated Gulf Place public beach access and is projected to be completed in summer 2025.

Another new hotel, Fairfield Inn and Suites, is set to open in Foley in December 2024, featuring 107 rooms, smart TVs, meeting spaces and complimentary amenities such as breakfast, parking, high-speed internet, a fitness center and a pool. The hotel aims to contribute to the local community's economic impact through revenue generation, local hiring and partnerships with organizations like Family Promise of Baldwin County.

For those who want to explore options outside of hotels, an Airbnb in Fairhope was named Alabama's Most Hospitable Airbnb for the second year in a row. Stay in Fairhope sits on a 10-acre farm off Mary Ann Beach Road and offers guests four different accommodation experiences: a two-bedroom cottage and three Airstream trailers. Owners Rachel Clarke and Uli Stich provide this refuge for guests.

HOW TO GET THERE
An always looming topic is infrastructure and roads, and municipalities across Baldwin County are upgrading roads inconstruction began on the widening of Highway 59 from Fort Morgan Road to the Target in Gulf Shores. The project will also see phases tackling Target to County Road 6, County Road 6 to County Road 8, County Road 6 West improvements and the new pedestrian bridge over the intracoastal.

The bridge currently sees between 55,000 and 65,000 cars traveling over it each day, and widening the road will help alleviate traffic congestion and improve traffic signals.

Additionally, the widening projects will also include a new third southbound lane from Target to Fort Morgan Road, Highway 59 access management, intersection improvements and a new entrance and access management to the Publix on Cotton Creek Drive.

Construction on the project is expected to last until July 2026.

ECONOMIC IMPACT
When big events or groups choose to locate in any city in Baldwin County, they bring with them an important commodity: their wallets. Here are some of the biggest events that returned — or relocated — to the island.

NCAA beach volleyball championship breaks attendance records, again:

When USC won a record third-straight NCAA women's beach volleyball championship in May on Gulf Place Beach, they did so in front of another record crowd. Not only that, but the three-day attendance of 11,722 also produced around 2,000 hotel room nights and an economic impact of $1.5 million for the City of Gulf Shores. With a new championship format compared to last year, 1,571 more attendees came to Gulf Shores to see the national collegiate beach volleyball champion be crowned this year.

That jump was more than double the increase seen from the 2022 tournament compared to the previous one hosted in 2019 since the 2020 championship was canceled due to the pandemic. Gulf Shores will remain the host of the NCAA beach volleyball championship tournament for one more year before it moves to Huntington Beach, California, for two years. The NCAA has not yet announced championship host locations beyond the 2026 postseason.

Meeting of the Minds:
Parrot Heads from all over the country flocked to the island in October after it was announced that the Jimmy Buffet fan club would be moving their annual event to Gulf Shores for the first time. The event was previously held since 1997 in Key West, Florida.

The seven-day convention provided a spike in tourism during a time when the island usually experiences a lull in visitors, bringing a lift in retail sales, lodging rentals and charitable impacts. Additionally, the organization presented over $37,000 to various charities and local organizations, including Jimmy Buffett's Singing for Change Charitable Foundation, Bra's Across the Causeway, South Baldwin Community Theatre, Christian Service Center, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Lone Palm Foundation, PHIP Scholarship Fund and the TRMA Artist Relief Fund. Attendees also donated 132 pints of blood at the MOTM blood drive and 115 toys and 61 pairs of shoes to the Christian Service Center.

Helping Hangout Happen:
When you hear Hangout Music Festival, what comes to mind? Traffic congestion, 35,000 tourists dancing on the beach or the loss of beach access? Behind the scenes, the city of Gulf Shores and festival organizers collaborate each year to ensure the festival goers are safe, cared for and cleaned up after with the help of local first responders, employees and volunteers.

Baldwin County 9-1-1's on-site call center located on the second floor of the Gulf Shores Beach Safety Division's office at Gulf Place becomes the safety center that oversees the whole operation throughout the three-day festival, which brough`1t in $31 million in 2013. In 2019, the countywide economic impact was $45 million.

PLANNING FOR FUTURE GROWTH
Since 2020, at least 11 planning districts in Baldwin County have voted in favor of zoning by their respective residents, including districts 14 (Silverhill, Fish River, Weeks Bay) and 40 (Bon Secour).

With the growth the county continues to see and expect, communities outside of official city lines can decide whether they want to be ruled by land use policies and regulations. Opponents historically say they don't want government meddling or restrictions, but more and more now residents have voted to create planning districts so massive developments, big-box stores and other land uses don't pop up in their backyard.

To bring zoning to an unincorporated planning district, community organizers must first work with the county to establish boundaries for their proposed district, often distinguished by major roads or natural boundaries such as waterways. Each planning committee's discussion revolve around achieving balance, ensuring industrial zones are separated form residential and rural spaces.