- September 3, 2024
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As Florida tourism continues to normalize from pandemic and post-pandemic highs, Visit Sarasota County has reported a drop in tourist season numbers compared to fall and winter 2022-2023, but there’s more to that data.
From October 2023 through March 2024, the county’s convention and visitors bureau reported 657,180 visitors here, a decline of 9% from the 727,100 during the same period the year before.
Fewer visitors, though, roughly the same amount of money during the most recent tourist season, at $950.43 million, marking a roughly 1% increase from the year prior. The result was still a roughly 1% decline in tourist development tax revenue at $28,545,736 for that period.
That’s nearly quadruple the $7.2 million fiscal year 2025 Visit Sarasota County budget approved by the Sarasota County Commission at its July 9 meeting.
“We went through a few phenomenal years with the pandemic, when Florida was open and other places around the country and the world were not,” VSC President and CEO Erin Duggan told commissioners. “We do know, some of that success was just unsustainable.”
Smaller travel parties staying longer was the trend this past season, which resulted in the decrease in visitors being greater than the decrease in room nights, the latter an 8% decline at 1.73 million.
October-December Year-Over-Year Comparisons | |||
| Indicator | FY2023 | FY2024 | Change |
| Visitors* | 354,300 | 309,880 | -12.5% |
| Direct expenditures | $373,556,500 | $390,199,200 | +4.5% |
| Economic impact# | $616,368,200 | $639,926,600 | +3.8% |
| Room nights | 860,600 | 738,400 | -14.2% |
| Occupancy | 72.9% | 59.2% | -18.8% |
| Room rates | $231.60 | 246.88 | +6.6% |
| RevPAR** | $168.76 | $146.24 | -13.3% |
| Tourist development tax ^ | $10,713,723 | $9,056,780 | -15.5% |
| *Visitors staying in paid accommodations **Revenue per available room #Based on a multiplier of 1.64 ^Source: Sarasota Tax Collector Analysis: Visitation metrics were heavily influenced by Hurricane Ian. Recovery workers filled hotel rooms but didn’t spend as much money as leisure visitors, which is why occupancy and visitors are down in FY 2024 but spending is higher by comparison. | |||
January-March Year-Over-Year Comparisons | |||
| Indicator | FY2023 | FY2024 | Change |
| Visitors* | 372,800 | 347,300 | -6.8% |
| Direct expenditures | $572,211,100 | $560,232,600 | -2.1% |
| Economic impact# | $940,018,900 | $893,844,500 | -4.9% |
| Room nights | 1,016,000 | 990,100 | -2.5% |
| Occupancy | 82.3% | 77.9% | -5.4% |
| Room rates | $292.02 | $302.96 | +3.7% |
| RevPAR** | $240.34 | $235.90 | -1.8% |
| Tourist development tax^ | $18,964,160 | $19,488,956 | +2.8% |
| *Visitors staying in paid accommodations #Based on a multiplier of 1.58 **Revenue per available room ^Source: Sarasota Tax Collector | |||
Visit Sarasota County’s research firm, Downs & St. Germain, reported that in May 2024, one in four visitors came here for the first time, which VSC defines as indicative of success in its efforts to attract both new and repeat tourists in all of its eight target groups.
Duggan told the Observer the abnormally large, successful years of 2021 through 2023 are not fair comparisons, particularly as other forms of travel reopened long after Florida did during and in the waning pandemic period.
“Even when things did open back up, you still had people who maybe weren’t ready to travel for whatever reason, and that’s just not the case now,” Duggan said. “You’ve now got cruises and people going on European vacations. Everybody that I know and their mother went to Portugal or Italy in the last year, except for me.”
In her report to the Sarasota County Commission last week, Duggan explained that direct marketing to tourists begins before their arrival at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, the exponential growth of which since 2019 is indicative of the flourishing local tourism industry.
The scheduled opening of five new ground boarding gates, all leased to Allegiant Air, by the end of the year will significantly increase the airport’s capacity to meet growing demand and add flights.
“Seventy percent of the folks utilizing SRQ are not locals. It’s folks coming from somewhere else utilizing our airport to get here,” Duggan told commissioners. “Allegiant is going to be vacating the gates that they’re currently at. Allegiant is going to be adding some flights. I know some of the other airlines are already talking to the airport and to us about adding some flights, so we want to be ready to make sure that those flights are successful by advertising in the new markets that we’ve never served before.”
Duggan also highlighted the eight target audiences for VSC’s marketing efforts.
They include:
Leisure travelers: These are often visitors coming here looking to experience something to do. That effort includes reaching sports tournament and business meeting/convention travelers seeking activities beyond their core scope with the goal of making first-timers repeat visitors.
International travelers: Outreach to tour operators bringing visitors here. That includes Canada, which VSC reported as remaining elevated over the prior tourist seasons.
Nature and outdoor enthusiasts: “That’s the person who enjoys glamping, birding, being on the water, sitting at the beach, enjoying nature and looking at wildlife,” Duggan said.
Arts and culture enthusiasts: Support the arts by showcasing seasons and special exhibits; and promoting arts offerings to meeting planners at trade shows as activities for attendees, to international travel trade and media, and to sports rights holders and governing bodies.
Relocation workforce: In coordination with the Economic Develop Corp. of Sarasota County, “Tourism is kind of the front porch of economic development,” Duggan said. “No one is going to want to move here to work or move a business here unless they've visited here first.”
Seasonal programming: Regular messaging with local residents through local media that highlight the business of tourism, promoting Savor Sarasota, Fun in the 941 and other signature events.
Meetings and groups: Hotels that didn’t need promotion by VSC during the pandemic and post-pandemic period are asking for assistance in touting the county as a convention and meeting destination. The impending opening of the St. Regis on Longboat Key will provide new opportunities for that market.
“When I go someplace by myself and I look around and I think my husband and my children will love this,” said Duggan of her own meeting travel experience. "You definitely are motivated to go back to that resort or to that destination, and so we do see that a lot.”
Sports: Host industry association meetings in conjunction with sporting events being held, pitching the area and its facilities to sports rights holders and governing bodies and providing welcome bags to visiting athletes and their families.
This article has been corrected to reflect the correct number of visitors in FY23 and FY24 and the corresponding amounts of direct expenditures.
