As cancellations continue, Sarasota tourism takes dip

March in Sarasota County is usually filled with families touring museums and watching performances while on spring break, but as major attractions in the area are closing, tourism is taking a hit.

Because of the spread of COVID-19, several museums have closed, and live performances have been canceled. Spring training was called off two weeks early.

Because of these closures, some tourists are electing to cancel their vacations in the area.

“As we know, spring training and Florida vacations in March are one in the same,” Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County said. “Some of the people who were already here for spring training are still here, but I think some of the people who were coming for the final week may end up not coming.”

About 60% of the county’s hotel properties have seen some form of cancellations, Haley said. There have been 10% cancellation rates in vacation and leisure travels, but the bigger disruption comes in the loss of meeting facilities, which often are booked months in advance.

On the heels of its most successful month yet, the Sarasota-Bradenton International airport is expecting losses in the month of March, which historically has been one of its most successful.

Airport President Rick Piccolo said he’s heard reports back from various airlines of flights taking off under capacity.

“They’re going out at about 60-70% full when they’re almost always full,” he said. “We know that there’s softening, but we don’t know the full extent yet.”

Already, airport leaders have taken steps to control costs, such as enacting a hiring freeze and delaying projects should airport sales worsen. However, Piccolo said airport sales are about 20% ahead of projections for the year, and there is about one year’s worth of reserve in the bank, so the airport is not in immediate danger.

“We can weather the storm for a while,” Piccolo said. “Hopefully, this gets under control quickly, and we get back into business before the aviation sector is affected too much.”

Haley said that as more trips originating overseas — which make up 5% of overall tourism in the county — are canceled, and the potential for domestic flights to be canceled grows, there is a chance that tourism numbers will take a further dip.

“People do not want that feeling of being stranded,” Haley said. “It does not make for a happy vacation.”

Although the county is seeing a dip from air travelers, Haley said some Florida travelers who have canceled cruises or out-of-state trips are booking local vacations. However, they are not spending as much on attractions and food.

“If we have to continue with these strict measures, which obviously is best for our health, there will be growing economic concerns,” she said. “Even though a family could come here, they may be worried about spending money right now.”

One area that hasn’t seen a decrease, however, is public beaches. Despite Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines recommending against group gatherings larger than 10 people at beaches and recommending 6 feet of separation between groups, thousands still populate Sarasota County’s beaches daily. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday said it planned to make cursory checks on beaches, focusing on education.

One such couple is Kristina and Bruce Kampstra, who are on vacation from Kansas City, Mo. They visited many Sarasota sites, including Lido Beach.

“We weren’t really worried about coronavirus,” Kristina Kampstra said. “There are people back home that have it, so we could’ve gotten it there too. We had already booked the trip, so we came.”

The couple drove instead of flying, which Bruce Kampstra said helped keep them away from unnecessary germs. Kristina’s parents, who are in their 80s, also did not join them on the beach.

“We hope we didn’t do the wrong thing here, but what better cure to all the worry is there than salt water?” Kristina said.

To help combat the expected losses, Visit Sarasota has stopped all marketing campaigns for Sarasota vacations. Visit Sarasota also will work closely with Visit Florida to develop a plan for marketing Florida vacations.

“The idea is that we’re reserving all that money, so that when we do reach the recovery peak, we can start to try to help the industry rebound,” Haley said.