Skip to main content

Tag: Manatee County Tourist Development Council

State of tourism looking good

Tourism looking healthy

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Business, Tourism.

ANNA MARIA – Every other month, Research Data Services’ Anne Wittine addresses the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) to update them on the state of tourism not only for the Island, but Manatee County as a whole. At last week’s TDC meeting, held at The Center of Anna Maria Island, there was plenty of good news.

During the time Canada, Europe and many northern states were on strict COVID-19 travel restrictions, Wittine credits the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) for transitioning their efforts to local “drive” markets. These are markets in the state of Florida and nearby southern states with people likely to drive to this area for a vacation. The efforts paid off, as Island visitors actually increased in most categories during the worst of the pandemic. 

While U.S. air travel has not recovered at the rate expected by many experts, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) was up 148% for the month of October as compared to October 2020. More surprising is that during the same time period, SRQ was up 78% from 2019, which was pre-COVID, the highest number of any airport in Florida. While the numbers vary from month to month, SRQ has been the state’s top-performing airport for most of 2021. 

The October visitation numbers are up from last year as well. The total number of visitors was up 13.9%, room nights were up 14.1% and economic impact was up 29.1%. 

“Last year we were attracting people from that local drive radius, and they came for shorter stays and spent less money,” said Wittine. “What we’re seeing now is people coming from farther away and staying longer. A pivot back to people from the Midwest and Northeast coming down and spending money.”

Visitors from the Northeast have risen from October 2020 to October 2021 from 5,450 to 10,090, an increase of 85.1%. The Midwest was the second-largest increased visitor origin for the same time period with a 44.5% increase to 10,910. Wittine also reports that October will be the last report not to include Europe and Canada, since those countries now allow travel to the U.S.

Wittine always includes a travel sentiment survey in her reports. This data gives the TDC an idea of how people feel about travel, how likely they are to visit the area and any concerns about health and safety. When asked to describe their feelings about travel in general using only one word, some of the most popular sentiments included cautious, hopeful, ready, hesitant and optimistic.

Red tide cleanup efforts earn park operations manager tourism award

Red tide cleanup earns park manager tourism award

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Manatee County.

BRADENTON – Through his hard work and dedication to the cleanup effort during this year’s red tide outbreak in Manatee County, Carmine DeMilio was awarded the first-ever Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award by the Manatee County Tourist Development Council at its Oct. 18 meeting.

DeMilio, the Manatee County Parks and Grounds Maintenance manager, was presented the award by Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“If it wasn’t for their hard work, tourism would have dropped off in this last red tide episode,” Falcione said, as he presented the award to DeMilio. 

Although a person in DeMilio’s position may seem like an unlikely recipient of a tourism award, his efforts to clean up the dead marine life on area beaches made a huge difference in visitors’ decisions to stay on the Island rather than cancel their trips. 

During the summer, thousands of dead fish and other marine life littered Island beaches. Red tide is still present in area waters.

While red tide is a natural occurrence, the discharge of millions of gallons of water high in nitrogen content into Tampa Bay from the Piney Point phosphate plant is believed to have been a major contributor to this year’s bloom.

Chiles continues to push for water taxis

Chiles continues to push for water taxis

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Business, Tourism.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The subject of a water taxi service comes up often at Manatee County Tourist Development Council meetings, and this was once again the case on Oct. 18 when the longest-serving board member, Ed Chiles, raised the issue to Mark Stuckey, the chief operating officer for the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

Stuckey had just finished his presentation to the TDC on the latest statistics regarding the airport when Chiles brought up the water taxi issue. 

“We’ve been talking about water taxis forever; we’re talking about it again now. At what point are we going to stop talking about it and do something about it?” asked Chiles, addressing Stuckey. “I can’t think of anything more exciting than the ability to connect with a green way to get out to the islands or to Sarasota with something that is cutting edge.” 

Stuckey said that the airport’s proximity to railroad tracks that go to downtown Sarasota and downtown Bradenton has been pointed out. As far as the water taxi being linked to SRQ, Stuckey admits that discussion has not been brought up as of late. 

Although SRQ has not been active in moving forward with a water taxi service, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione said they have been making progress.

“We’ve done some due diligence just recently, meeting with some water taxi guys, finding out what they need and what their costs are,” said Falcione, who said they are getting much closer to launching a water taxi program.

“It’s bold, but I think we need to be bold. We aren’t going to build another bridge to the island in our lifetime. We need to do something so we don’t suffer gridlock,” Chiles said.

Falcione concluded the discussion by telling Chiles that they would probably have an update on the water taxi proposal update for the December TDC meeting.

Bradenton Anna Maria Island Longboat Key

TDC hears tourism update

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Business, Tourism.

BRADENTON – Local tourism is on the increase, according to Ann Wittine, of Tampa-based Research Data Services, who gave a report on Oct. 18 to the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC).

The bi-monthly report outlines dozens of statistics that give county tourism officials an overview of visitor sentiment, length of stay, number of visitors, places likely to visit and more vital information. 

Airline passenger data from the Transportation Security Administration from 2019 to present shows that patterns have nearly returned to pre-COVID levels, according to Wittine.

“Even with red tide, and even with (COVID-19) case numbers rising, we’re seeing a normal pattern. As case numbers drop, we see the number of people traveling through U.S. airports also going up,” she said. 

The number of passengers passing through Sarasota Bradenton International Airport is higher than any other airport in Florida month over month, she said. 

August visitation was up 12%, room nights were up 7% and the economic impact was up 17.1% from $43,613,000 to $51,051,700, according to Wittine. Those numbers are increases over 2019, which was prior to COVID-19.

The annual economic impact from 2020 to 2021 is up 38.5% from $867,630,800 to $1,201,878,400. 

Wittine’s report shows that while August visitors from Florida were down 11.1% from last year, visitors from the northeast were up an impressive 113%. With Canada and much of Europe recently easing travel restrictions, it’s likely the flat numbers from those regions will rise significantly, she said.

Traveler sentiment

With each bi-monthly report, Research Data Services conducts a traveler sentiment survey that asks potential travelers from around the world questions about concerns related to travel to Anna Maria Island and other Manatee County destinations. 

When asked what one word would best describe their feelings about travel right now, only 28% of respondents used a positive word. This number is the same as last month, so no change was recorded. 

People surveyed were a little less confident about the economy, personal health and personal finances compared to September, but not by a significant amount. The number of green light travelers was at 48.9%, which is not a significant change from recent months. Green light travelers are those surveyed who are ready and willing to travel at this time. The red light travelers (people who are not willing to travel) are the same as last month at 25.1% and the number that has currently booked vacations stays virtually unchanged at 34.1%. 

The survey also asked a question for the first time: “Are things back to normal?” The survey shows that 39% of people think conditions are back to normal.

Four hoteliers keep their seats on the TDC

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Business, Tourism.

BRADENTON – Four hoteliers have been reappointed to the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC).

In a meeting on July 27, county commissioners voted to retain the four TDC members for another four-year term.

The four members are Ed Chiles, Juten Patel, Eric Cairns and Rahul Patel. Commissioners voted for each seat individually, meaning they could choose to keep the current member or replace them with an applicant who meets the criteria for membership and garners enough Board votes to take the seat.

The TDC is made up of nine volunteer members who make recommendations to the County Commission concerning the operation of projects set forth in the Tourist Development Plan. They also make recommendations on Tourist Development Tax revenue is spent. Members are appointed by the commission in the following categories:

  • Three elected officials;
  • Four owner/operators of hotels, motels or other short-term rental accommodations in Manatee County that are subject to the 5% resort tax;
  • Two citizens who are involved in the tourist industry and who have demonstrated an interest in tourism but are not subject to the 5% resort tax in Manatee County.
County commissioners refuse Holmes Beach funding request

County commissioners refuse Holmes Beach funding request

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Holmes Beach.

MANATEE COUNTY – Holmes Beach city leaders weren’t very surprised but they were disappointed when Manatee County commissioners shot down a funding request recently.

During a June 8 county commission meeting, Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, submitted a request on behalf of all three Anna Maria Island cities for funding from the tourist development tax, also known as the bed tax, collected by hoteliers and vacation rental owners from renters.

The projects proposed by the cities of Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach were approved. One project from the city of Holmes Beach, $41,200 for improvements including boardwalks to be added to an extension of Grassy Point Preserve on land gifted to the city by the Hames family, was approved by county commissioners. However, $282,910 for reimbursement on construction done at a seawall on Marina Drive was not.

County commissioners did vote unanimously to consider a future funding request from Holmes Beach city leaders for bicycle paths and pedestrian walkways leading to a city park if one was presented to them.

Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she didn’t support the seawall funding request despite it being approved unanimously for funding by the Manatee County Tourist Development Council because she doesn’t believe it’s tourism-related, which is what the tourist development tax dollars are required by state law to be spent on.

Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said it was disrespectful for Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth to not show up to the county meeting where funding was being requested and to not send a representative in her place.

Titsworth said prior to the meeting that she would be unable to attend due to a conflicting meeting. Holmes Beach Commissioner Jim Kihm was asked to step in for her but was unable to do so due to a conflicting medical appointment and no other suitable replacement could be found in time for the meeting.

Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said city leaders should consider the consequences of their actions before asking for help from the county. Van Ostenbridge and Titsworth are currently embroiled in a disagreement over public parking for beachgoers in the Island city.

Falcione said the seawall project had been discussed at length with Holmes Beach city leaders and that the TDC had given the funding its full support, a statement echoed by Commissioner Misty Servia who serves on the TDC.

Holmes Beach leaders argue that the seawall is important to tourism because it’s an erosion control seawall that holds up a section of Marina Drive in the city’s commercial center and provides a pedestrian path and access to numerous tour boats and rentals in the adjacent marina. If the funds had been released, city leaders would have used the money to build additional sidewalks and bicycle paths, which also would be used by tourists. Whitmore suggested city leaders come back to the commission for funding of that idea, which was approved by county commissioners unanimously. However, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said that project was previously shot down for funding by Falcione.

Another concern was that the seawall request to county commissioners didn’t explicitly say there was a city match to the funding. So far, Tokajer said the city is spending $1,581,433 on the city center project including the seawall, pedestrian paths, bicycle lanes, lights and landscaping.

During a June 8 Holmes Beach commission meeting, city commissioners discussed the refusal of their funding request, noting that rentals in Holmes Beach have contributed $30,187,388.29 of the total $42,170,953.57 collected in tourist development tax in Manatee County over the past 10 years. That equals about 70% of the total collected bed tax coming from Holmes Beach while the city has received $100,000 of those dollars in funding for Grassy Point Preserve in the past decade.

“They’ve made us into the largest tourist attraction in Manatee County,” Tokajer said. “They should have to pay for enforcement and infrastructure.”

The county gave $50,000 in the current fiscal year to the city for police patrol and response at the county-owned Manatee Beach. More than 30,000 cars a day come to Holmes Beach on weekends during the summer, Tokajer said.

While Titsworth said she felt “the writing was on the wall” with Van Ostenbridge and his lack of support for city funding due to the ongoing parking issues, Commissioner Carol Soustek said that with all the people coming to Holmes Beach the county should have been better prepared to help deal with the resulting issues after advertising the city as a vacation destination.

“There’s nothing being done by the state or county to address the growth they’re encouraging,” she said, adding that she’s tired of issues getting pushed down the line to the next elected official. Rather than worrying about parking, she suggested county and state leaders be concerned about whether the area’s infrastructure, including pipes, clean water supply and seawalls, can handle the extra strain put on it by inviting so many additional people to one place.

One thing Holmes Beach commissioners agreed on though is that they all support Titsworth as the city’s leader in discussions with the county.

“Thanks, you guys,” Titsworth said. “It’s been a hard week and I really appreciate your support.”

Related coverage

 

Parking rift between city, county widens over Memorial Day

 

Memorial Day weekend parking sparks drama in Holmes Beach

 

County commission supports Bradenton Beach dock expansion project

Tourism is rebounding in Manatee County

Tourism rebounding in Manatee County

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Business, Tourism.

MANATEE COUNTY – Tourist Development Council members received some encouraging news just before Christmas.

During this morning’s meeting, held at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, representatives from Visit Florida and Research Data Services gave TDC members updates, and the news was good – tourism numbers are going up despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Jen Carlisle with Visit Florida said that while the numbers they’re seeing are an overall 37% decrease in tourism from the same time last year and a 57% decrease in tourism from Canada, travel increased in the second and third quarters of the year by 71%. Carlisle attributed the increase in numbers to the Visit Florida-led marketing efforts.

Beginning in September, she said the organization targeted Florida residents, urging them through marketing to take a trip in their own state. In October, the target area of that effort increased to include drivable markets within a 700-mile radius, such as Atlanta, Charlotte and Nashville.

From these rebound advertising campaigns, Carlisle said that Visit Florida has had 300 million impressions and that 70% of people who saw the marketing spots were more likely to visit the state than they were beforehand. And while international travel is still largely on hold due to travel restrictions, she said that Visit Florida is still marketing in other countries to keep the destination at the forefront of potential visitors’ minds when restrictions are lifted. Elliott Falcione, director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that his organization also is making sure that they continue marketing in other countries, particularly in Europe and Canada, to make sure that the Bradenton area is on visitors’ minds when they’re ready to book future travel plans.

Speaking on behalf of the central European market from Germany via Zoom, Dorothea Hohn said that her research has found that people are ready to travel to the United States again, particularly to beach and outdoor destinations like the Bradenton and Gulf Islands area, however, she added that those visitors are pinning their plans on the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine and the lifting of international travel bans and restrictions.

Anne Wittine of Tampa-based Research Data Services, the county’s tourism consultant, gave a presentation on the current state of tourism in the area, noting that the number of visitors is down only 10.3% for the year so far from 2019. The economic impact of tourism, – the amount of money put into the local economy by tourists – is down 13.2% from the previous year. And while occupancy is down 14.3% from the previous year, Wittine said that may largely be due to a lack of reporting from privately-managed vacation rental properties. She said that the majority of the occupancy numbers received come from hotels, motels and professionally-managed vacation rental units, and that it’s hard to get numbers from individual vacation rental owners or those rented through services such as Airbnb.

Some of the challenges facing the local tourism industry, Wittine said, are that visitors are waiting until the last minute, often one to seven days out from their expected travel time, to book vacations and that visitation from Canada and Europe, where travel restrictions are in place, is too small to count at this time. Another issue is that cancellations of trips are going up as the number of locally-reported COVID-19 cases increases.

And while the number of people feeling more confident and safe about traveling is steadily increasing, Wittine said one key element for the local tourism businesses is to provide good information on what is open and what kind of experience travelers can expect when they arrive at their destination, information that is often difficult to come by online.

Related coverage

 

Tourism remains down in pandemic

 

COVID-19 heavily impacting tourism

 

Coronavirus may be increasing tourism

COVID-19 heavily impacting tourism

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Business, Tourism.

The coronavirus pandemic has sickened the local tourism industry, but local officials plan to ask the state for a shot in the arm by moderating some vacation rental restrictions, the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) learned on Monday.

April visitation to the county was down 82.3%, occupancy was down 83.4% and the average daily rate was down 26.4% from the previous April, said Anne Wittine, of Research Data Services, the county’s tourism consultant.

However, she said, “It is a testament to the strength of Manatee’s tourism industry… that year to date we are only down 12.1% in visitation and 11.7% in economic impact.”

A new traveler sentiment survey indicates that optimism about traveling has been down due to concerns about health, she said.

The first week of June, 34% of those surveyed said they thought the state was reopening from COVID-19 shutdowns too quickly; the second week of June, as coronavirus cases spiked, that sentiment increased to 42%.

People surveyed are feeling less safe from the first to the second week of June about dining in a restaurant, shopping, participating in outdoor recreation, going to indoor attractions, visiting friends and relatives, going to the beach, going to theme parks and visiting a new destination, she told the TDC.

Among the biggest concerns about traveling during COVID-19 were not being able to return home, being quarantined away from home and flight cancellations.

A survey question, “Is this a destination you would be interested in visiting?” resulted in a loss of confidence from 28.9% the last week in May to 22.7% the second week of June.

However, Wittine said there is reason for optimism that sentiments are turning around.

“We asked people what one word is that would describe their feelings about tourism,” she said. The first week of June, people were saying, “Absolutely no,” but by the second week, the majority sentiment had changed to “cautious,” she said.

Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Director Elliott Falcione said that many visitors to the area are making 12- to 14-hour drives to come here with their family, a slight difference in the county’s typical visitor profile of older couples.

Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore commented that the survey shows the hesitancy of visitors to come to the county, probably due to the spike in COVID-19 cases.

“It’s telling me that people aren’t ready yet, but I think we need to stay in their faces,” she said.

CVB to request change in COVID guidelines

On Tuesday, June 16, the CVB was scheduled to ask the Manatee County Commission to amend county vacation rental guidelines on COVID-19 to allow visitors from certain states that are currently prohibited, Falcione said.

“It will give our vacation rentals a lot of flexibility,” he said.

Under current guidelines, visitors from states that have 700 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people are restricted, he said.

If the commission approves the amendment, the county administrator could ask the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation to eliminate that restriction and instead limit the restricted areas to those identified by the governor as high risk (currently New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Louisiana).

Reservations would be required to be longer than the quarantine period established by the state and groups of visitors would still be limited to no more than 10 people, or fewer depending on municipal occupancy limits, according to the recommendation.

The next TDC meeting is scheduled on Monday, Aug. 17 at 9 a.m., tentatively at Holmes Beach City Hall.

In other business:

  • John Horne, of the Anna Maria Oyster Bar and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, reported that some local restaurants have not yet opened for various reasons, including concerns about being profitable at 50% capacity. He thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis for allowing expanded outdoor dining, municipalities for relaxing their criteria on signage to allow restaurants to advertise that they’re open, and the CVB for lobbying to get short-term vacation rentals open.
  • Mark Stuckey, of the Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport, reported that traffic has increased from 10,000 to 40,000 passengers since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, but traffic is down 21% year to date. Airlines are requiring passengers to wear masks at all times and the airport has installed Plexiglas windows and increased sanitization measures to protect passengers, he said.
  • CVB website manager Emily Knight reported that the CVB stopped advertising for tourism on its website on March 16 due to European borders closing, causing website traffic to drop; traffic rebounded when beaches were reopened in May. A COVID-19 page was added to advise prospective visitors about updates and a “Bring Bradenton Home” page was added to let people virtually experience the destination. In April, a message was launched that “The Bradenton Area Misses You Too.”
  • Sean Walter, of the CVB’s sports marketing program, reported 40 canceled events due to COVID-19, a loss of $35 million. However, 20 tentative events have been scheduled at Premiere Sports Campus from 2020-2022. Visitation outreach will focus on drive markets due to visitors’ concerns about flying, he said.
  • Michele Schulz, of the Manatee County Tax Collector’s Office, reported that her office has posted a message on its website in conjunction with the CVB that “Tourism is back!” The office sent emails to more than 5,000 people and letters to nearly 2,500 to refer them to the website, since many were not visiting it due to not having to pay tourist taxes while vacation rentals were closed.

Commission pledges $5 million in tourist funds to Mote

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Business, Tourism.

BRADENTON – Manatee County commissioners have committed $5 million in Manatee County tourist tax funds to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota County for marketing over the next five years.

Mote, which operates marine mammal and sea turtle rehabilitation facilities, an aquaculture facility, and conducts research into coral bleaching, red tide and other marine issues, previously requested $15 million to help build its planned Science Education Aquarium (SEA) at Nathan Benderson Park. However, Manatee County Attorney William Clague told commissioners at the time that Manatee County tourist tax proceeds can’t be used for construction projects outside the county, and commissioners declined the request, deciding to look for other ways to assist the organization.

The Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) decided last month to recommend that county commissioners approve a reduced commitment of $1.25 million over 25 years, or $50,000 a year.

But county commissioners decided on Tuesday, Feb. 25 to raise that amount to $5 million, or $1 million a year for five years, earmarking the funds for marketing, not construction.

“I believe that right now we have an opportunity that we have not seen before and I’m not sure we’re going to see it again,” said County Commissioner and newly-appointed TDC Chair Misty Servia, who explained that she supports Mote as a means to improve water quality.

Reduced water quality could lead to reduced tourism, while improved water quality will support ecotourism, she said.

Commission Chair Betsy Benac agreed with Servia that supporting Mote is an “incredible opportunity.”

The board vote was unanimous in favor of the expenditure.

 

https://amisun.com/2020/02/03/tourist-tax-collections-2019/

 

Mote request trimmed

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Business, Tourism.

BRADENTON – Mote Marine Laboratory’s request for $5 million in Manatee County tourist tax funds was met on Monday with a recommendation to spend $1.25 million over 25 years instead.

The Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) voted unanimously to let Manatee County commissioners know that it supports Mote Marine Laboratory as a priority, but that it would not recommend that commissioners approve the requested $5 million to promote the aquarium. Instead TDC members opted to recommend $50,000 a year for 25 years, totaling $1.25 million.

Last March, Manatee County commissioners voted unanimously to support the construction of Mote’s planned Science Education Aquarium (SEA) at Benderson Park, but Manatee County tourist tax funds can’t be used for capital construction outside of the county, said Elliott Falcione of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).

The funds can, however, be used for marketing and outreach, and Mote President and CEO Dr. Michael Crosby asked the TDC on Monday to recommend the commission approve $5 million to support marketing and outreach at its current aquarium on City Island in Sarasota County.

Nearly half of the 320,000 to 350,000 visitors a year live outside the drive market, Crosby said, adding that Mote would provide free STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning laboratories for Manatee County students at the new Mote SEA.

The two new members of the TDC, Misty Servia and Shirley Groover Bryant, disagreed on the issue.

Servia, the new TDC chair, said that she has long been a supporter of Mote, a marine research facility and tourist attraction.

“Water is the basis of life and the basis of tourism,” she said, calling water quality Florida’s most important issue.

She urged TDC members to “get past the competition between Sarasota County and Manatee County,” as Tampa/St. Petersburg has done. “It’s time we shift our thinking from ‘us and them’ into ‘we.’ We are getting too big to pay attention to political boundaries.”

“The convention center is the biggest priority for me,” said Groover Bryant, mayor of Palmetto, where the convention center is located.

A convention center hotel has been needed since 1984, and a Sheraton is now becoming a reality, Falcione said. “I just see that as an anchor to bring in more tourists.”

Mote needs to do more work before the TDC can make a decision, Groover Bryant said, suggesting that the funds could come from another source.

TDC member and Island restaurateur Ed Chiles voiced the majority opinion that the TDC supports Mote, but citing their fiduciary responsibility, he said, “We need to make sure about how we spend these budget dollars.”

Bradenton Mayor and TDC member Wayne Poston reminded Crosby that the board had previously asked for clarification of the details, and is still waiting.

“The devil is always in the details,” he said. “I’m on your side, but we have to make a decision and we need some time to make it.”

Poston also suggested that county commission decide the appropriate place for the funds to come from.

“I’m hearing that there is unified support for Mote but we don’t know what that looks like,” Servia said. “Are we going to decide to make Mote one of our top priorities or not?

“This is a financial decision as far as I’m concerned and the numbers are the numbers,” Chiles said after hearing Falcione detail the county’s CVB budget, funded by the tourist tax.

County officials already are considering allocating nearly $33 million in tourist tax funds to the following projects, Falcione said:

  • Additional airline incentive marketing program ($550,000)
  • World Baseball Championships in 2021 ($350,000)
  • Additional marketing funds for Netherlands/Scandinavian markets ($94,500)
  • Convention Center Expansion ($18 million)
  • Premier Sports Campus infrastructure ($8 million)
  • Conference Space in east Manatee County ($5 million)
  • Art Center – new facility capital improvements ($1 million)

“I’m not ready to do $5 million,” Chiles said, explaining that money needs to be set aside for emergencies.

“We’ve got to be prepared for those unforeseen circumstances if we get hit with a red tide. We need reserves and we may need a lot of reserves. I don’t think it’s prudent to put us in the red.”

Chiles made a motion to recommend that the commission consider spending $1.25 million in tourist tax funds to promote the new aquarium over 25 years beginning in 2023 when it is expected to open. Servia was the only member opposed.

Wish You Were Here

New tourism campaign: ‘You’ll be back’

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Business, Featured, Tourism.

BRADENTON – “You’ll be back.”

That’s the new message that Manatee County tourism officials will be sending to visitors, the Tourist Development Council (TDC) learned Monday.

The county’s current marketing brand (“Real. Authentic. Florida.”) will not change, said Dave DiMaggio, of Aqua, the county’s tourism marketing consultant.

The brand shouldn’t change unless the community it represents changes, agreed Elliott Falcione, director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).

“Do you expect the characteristics of Anna Maria Island to change? Hopefully not,” he said.

The new slogan will not only target first-time visitors, but continue to target tourists who already have been to the destination, DiMaggio said.

Unlike catch and release fishing, he said, “We’re not going to let them go.”
Most tourism destinations advertise “Please come visit,” he said, adding “We’re going to move beyond that,” persuading visitors that their first visit won’t be their last.

“We’ll be telling them before they come, while they’re here and after they leave that they’ll be back,” DiMaggio said.

To that end, Aqua plans to create for the county an online streaming radio station so that visitors can stay connected to the destination after they return home, he said. In addition, a new e-commerce site will offer merchandise branded with the county’s tourism brand and slogan, and a new mobile app will promote upcoming events. Another feature will count down the days, hours and minutes until a visitor’s vacation begins. A new magazine, Bradenton Gulf Islands Today, will feature stories about events, restaurants, visitor profiles and other information twice a year.

Beyond tourism, the goal is to get visitors to buy property or businesses in the county, DiMaggio said.

“After the third visit, they’re fantasizing about moving here. After the fifth visit, they’re actually looking for real estate or businesses,” he said.

Facebook presence growing

The county’s social media presence also will expand this year, said Kevin McNulty, president and CEO of Netweave Social Networking, the county’s social media consultant.

Netweave will add YouTube advertising to the county’s tourism tools and make its social media accounts compliant with federal ADA regulations to assist the disabled in accessing digital information, including providing alternative text for images and captioning videos, he said.

The county’s Facebook audience increased by 20% in 2019 over 2018, approaching 70,000 followers, McNulty said.

2019 tourism update

Manatee County tourism reached a milestone in 2019, with just over $1 billion in economic impact for the first time, said Anne Wittine, of Research Data Services, the county’s tourism consultant. The figure represents a 5% increase over 2018.

Visitation was up 8% for the year, with occupancy up 2.2%, primarily from the Florida, Midwest and European markets, she said.

December 2019, economic impact jumped by 14.2%, visitation was up 11.2%, occupancy increased by 8% and the number of licensed transient lodging establishments increased by 3.6%.

Pines plague parking project

Pines plague parking project

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News, Featured.

BRADENTON BEACH – Controversy over Australian pine trees in the Coquina Beach parking lot may slow down or stop the second phase of a $6 million drainage project, county tourism officials learned on Monday.

The county removed 103 of the non-native pines and replaced them with native species in phase one at the southern end of the parking area, scheduled to be completed by February or March, Mike Sturm, project manager at the Manatee County Public Works Department, told Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) members.

Another 126 pines will need to be removed at the northern end in phase two, he said.

Spirited discussions at city and county meetings about removing the first batch of trees caused the project to fall three to four months behind, he said, adding that the city of Bradenton Beach required the county to replace the 103 pines with 103 native, salt-tolerant trees, mostly black olive, gumbo limbo and green buttonwood. The county exceeded the city’s height requirements, choosing trees 8-12 feet high, Sturm said.

TDC Chair and Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore was not appeased by the effort, citing the Australian pines’ shade and aesthetic appeal.

The nearly-completed portion of the southern parking lot “looks like Siesta Beach or one of the other sterile beaches we have south of us… I wanted to save some of the character of Anna Maria Island,” said Whitmore, who voted against the project as a county commissioner. “People come to us because we aren’t a sterile beach like you see in other places in Florida. If you go for phase two, I’m really going to fight it hard,” she said.

In phase two, which Manatee County commissioners have not yet approved, the county public works staff can try to mitigate the impact to the pines by changing the pavement design to save some of them, Sturm said.

But Australian pine opponents, like Island restaurateur and TDC member Ed Chiles, say the trees are unstable in high winds due to shallow root systems and produce acidity that discourages the growth of native plants.

Pines lining Gulf Drive could topple into the roadway, which is a hurricane evacuation route, Chiles said, complimenting the county on removing the pines and on the drainage project’s progress, saying it “provides access to our crown jewel, the beaches.”

The county worked with an expert who determined that 90% of the time, the Coquina Beach parking lot gets an inch of rain or less, he said, so the system is designed to keep the lot dry 90% percent of the time. During a heavy storm, it may take a day or so to clear, he said, but any water coming off Gulf Drive will be routed around the parking area.

The system also should help reduce harmful algal blooms, Chiles said; the project incorporates carbon filters under pervious parking surfaces to help filter out nutrients from stormwater runoff, which will drain into the Intracoastal Waterway.

Pervious concrete was used at Riverwalk and Lecom Field, TDC member and Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston said.

“It’s worked very well, we’re very pleased with that,” he said, predicting that the improved beach parking lot will attract more visitors and locals when it is finished in January.

But the Australian pines made the beach “look like the Island,” he said.

“I think Carol’s right,” he said. “You get a new puppy and everybody forgets about the old dog who has served you so well.”

“I lost this one,” Whitmore said. “As a TDC member for a long time now, I just don’t want the character to be inching away… I’m just trying to preserve a little bit of the character and that to me was a big thing. But they’re gone.”

Related coverage

County submits Coquina Beach tree replacement plan

County commission approves Coquina Beach tree removals

City to county: ‘Not so fast’ on tree removal

TDC members consider Mote funding request

TDC members consider Mote funding request

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Longboat Key, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium’s leadership is hoping for some funds from the Manatee County Tourist Development Council but TDC members are unsure that they can meet the $5 million request.

Dan Bebak, vice president of Aquarium, Education and Outreach at Mote, appeared before TDC members during a Sept. 16 meeting to ask for $5 million in funding spread over three years. The request includes $2 million in fiscal year 2020, $1.75 million in fiscal year 2021 and $1.25 million in fiscal year 2022.

If TDC members vote to approve the funding, followed by a vote of approval from Manatee County Commissioners and the potential approval of a budget amendment for the TDC, Bebak said the funds would go toward proposed expenditures at the Mote City Island campus. The City Island campus is expected to become a science and learning center when the new Mote aquarium is built adjacent to Nathan Benderson Park near the University Town Center Mall in Sarasota.

Proposed expenditures include estuary excursions, environmental kayaking experiences, behind-the-scenes science education opportunities, classroom technology, digital learning access, the development of an augmented reality aquarium tour, animal and exhibit care, guest experience enhancement and other upgrades at Mote.

Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she doesn’t believe that Manatee County has ever had much of a brand or advertising presence with Mote and it’s something that she’d like to see happen in the future. Before it does though, she said she’d like to see more detail from Mote concerning where the funds would be going. She also said that she’d like to see Manatee County represented in both the City Island science center on Longboat Key and in the new aquarium when it’s built.

TDC funds must be spent on specific endeavors to encourage tourism to Manatee County. One way in which funds can be spent is to buy advertising and another is to create an exhibit or event that drives people to the area. Either way, the TDC needs to see a return on the funds in the form of economic impact to Manatee County.

TDC member and Anna Maria Commissioner Doug Copeland said he questions spending $5 million on advertising to a group of people who are already in the area.

Bebak said that of Mote’s annual memberships, 58% come from Manatee and Sarasota counties with the remainder from other areas. Of the total attendance numbers, 13% come from Manatee County, 18% come from Sarasota County and 69% come from other areas. Of that 69%, 12% come from a drivable range of eight surrounding counties and 88% come from outside of that drivable area.

“In my heart, I support the cause,” Whitmore said, adding that she needs to see how the funds will benefit Manatee County to help her and other county commissioners to justify the expense to residents.

Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston said he was also not prepared to vote on the funding request at the Sept. 16 meeting.

“I love the concept. We have a lot of asks right now,” he said. “The devil’s in the details and we need the details. Convince me.”

TDC members voted to have representatives from Mote come back at a future meeting to present a budget of how funds would be used and ideas on how those funds would benefit Manatee County tourism.

County to consider record high tourism budget

County to consider record high tourism budget

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Business, Featured, Tourism.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Tourism officials voted to recommend a record $13.2 million marketing budget for the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) today for fiscal year 2020-21.

The budget – up 67% from five years ago – is aimed at attracting more customers for tourism-based businesses.

The largest overall expenditure is on sports marketing – more than $2.1 million over two years, not including another $900,000 in capital improvements for baseball stadium LECOM Park (McKechnie Field).

Other high-cost items are online advertising and marketing, marketing in Central Europe and the United Kingdom, and advertising agency services.

Budget funding is generated by Manatee County’s 5% tourist tax, paid by visitors to lodging establishments. The county spends about half of the tax proceeds on tourism marketing; 20% of the taxes are allocated to beach renourishment. Other recent uses have included rebuilding fishing piers in Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach.

Highlights of the proposed 2020-21 BACVB budget:

Sports marketing $2.1 million

Online/digital marketing $1.3 million

Advertising agency $1.2 million

Online/digital ads $1.1 million

LECOM Park $900,000

Florida Railroad Museum $700,000

Central European marketing $688,714

Allegiant Airlines initiatives $630,000

United Kingdom marketing $628,693

TV/radio ads $458,000

Tourism consultant $310,000

Website management $300,000

Concert series $200,000

AMI Chamber ads $90,000

Magazine/newspaper ads $82,050

Source: Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

The Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) voted to recommend the budget to Manatee County commissioners for final approval.

The marketing budget targets baby boomers, who can afford Anna Maria Island’s vacation rentals, CVB Director Elliott Falcione said.

Strong sports market

The TDC also voted to recommend $220,000 this year for the Sports Commission, which manages sports marketing.

Sporting events, such as the World’s Strongest Man competition on the Island last weekend, is an important visitor draw to the area, according to Falcione, who said that the television exposure will raise the destination’s profile.

Drawing about 1,000 people, “It was really, really successful,” he said, adding, “The market share on this event is priceless.”

Falcione said his staff will meet with Island government officials to “see what went well and what went not so well,” and discuss how to make traffic flow better. During the finals on Sunday, the Manatee Beach parking lot was full and cars were parked along Manatee Avenue to the Kingfish boat ramp and bumper to bumper down residential streets near the beach.

“It’s not our community, it’s the residents’ community,” he said.

The county is hosting 105 sporting events in fiscal year 2018-19, including gymnastics, tennis, golf and rowing, according to the CVB.

New marketing campaign planned

In August, a new marketing campaign for the Bradenton Area will be announced, said Dave DiMaggio, of Aqua, the county’s advertising and public relations firm.

Known now as “the Bradenton Area – Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key,” the destination uses the tag line “Authentic Florida” to describe itself, he said. Some critics say the increase in tourism in recent years is fundamentally changing the advertised character of the Island.Bradenton Anna Maria Island Longboat Key

Recent campaigns include “Craft your own vacation” and “We’ve got the cure.”

Marketing efforts will be intensified in pre-summer, summer and fall, the least busy times of the year, he said.

With the exception of the flagging UK market, the outlook for this summer’s tourism looks good, said Walter Klages, of Tampa-based Research Data Services, the county’s tourism consultant.

Despite the rising number of vacation rental units, which increased by 8.3% to 9,097, occupancy only decreased by 1.1% in April 2019 compared to April 2018, he said, adding, “We are having a very good year.”

Tourist tax collections in the three Island cities were up between 5-21% in April and up between 6-9% in March, the height of the tourist season, according to the Manatee County Tax Collector’s office.

Island expenditures

The board also approved a recommendation for an additional $435,000 for the Anna Maria City Pier.

$1.5 million in tourist tax funds, matched by the city, already is allocated to rebuild the pier, damaged by age and Hurricane Irma in 2017.

Likewise, the city already is paying half of the additional $869,000 needed, TDC Chair Carol Whitmore said.

It can afford to pay the other $435,000 too, Falcione said, but could better use the money on water management issues and multimodal trails.

Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy told the board that the city has selected a local contractor with local subcontractors to build the restaurant and bait shop at the end of the pier, which is scheduled to open by March 2020.

The TDC also voted to recommend $28,000 to upgrade and maintain the Anna Maria Chamber of Commerce website.

The chamber is the official visitors center for Anna Maria Island, Falcione said. The funds will contribute to improvements that include meeting industry standards for best website practices, he said.

Bradenton Anna Maria Island Longboat Key

Vacancies open on TDC

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Business, Tourism.

Applications are being accepted for three openings on the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC).

The TDC is comprised of nine members who make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners on expenditures of tourist tax revenues for tourism-related projects.

The TDC is seeking one member who is an owner/operator (general manager) of a motel, hotel, recreational vehicle park or other tourist accommodation in the county who is subject to the 5 percent county resort tax.

Another two seats are available for applicants who are involved in the tourism industry and who have demonstrated an interest in tourist development but are not subject to the 5 percent county resort tax.

All applicants must be registered voters in Manatee County.

The hotelier term expires June 30, 2021; the interested citizen terms expire June 30, 2022.

Applications are due by July 17 and may be found online.

The TDC meets on the third Monday of every other month at 9 a.m. at various locations throughout the county.

For more information, call Monica Luff at the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, 941-729-9177 ext. 3944 or email her at Monica.Luff@mymanatee.org.