After Anna Maria Island tourism numbers increased seven of the past nine months, occupancy of Island accommodations fell slightly in October. Still, industry officials say it was just a minor hiccup: All signs point to a solid winter season.
Overall occupancy of Island accommodation units fell 7.6 percent in October when compared with the same month last year, according to facilities routinely surveyed by the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
For October 2010, the BACVB reported the Island’s occupancy rate was 47 percent against 50.9 percent in October last year.
In the BACVB marketing area, occupancy decreased 6.6 percent in October, dropping from 50.2 percent last October to 46.9 percent for October 2010.
The average daily rate of surveyed accommodations in the BACVB market rose in October to $116.30, a 1.2 percent increase from the $114.85 average reported for October 2009.
No worries
The October decline in occupancy had few people in the local tourism industry concerned.
Mary Ann Brockman, president of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, said the drop is a “slight hiccup” for the Island.
“It’s to be expected in October. No one is concerned. In fact, everyone is very, very optimistic about the coming season. Advance reservations are going through the roof,” Brockman said.
Sally Norman of Mike Norman Real Estate in Holmes Beach said advance reservations for their managed accommodations for the 2010-11 season are “well ahead of last year at this time.”
Advance bookings have been “good, solid and steady,” Norman said. “Our season is looking very good.”
She had friendly advice for those considering Anna Maria this winter to book early: The Island is no longer a secret, but a very popular destination.
Norman said she tells everyone who calls for information to “make your reservation as soon as you can so you get what you want and get the best bargain.”
“We try to accommodate everyone to find a place,” Norman said, including working with resorts and the chamber’s vacancy list.
Her comments were echoed by Jason Sato of Sato Real Estate.
“We are taking a lot of calls for accommodation rentals,” Sato said.
The requests range from a three-months stay, 30 days, a week or for the Thanksgiving weekend.
“People appear confident about the economy and, with the elections over, are making winter vacation plans,” he said.
“I would urge everyone considering Anna Maria to book as soon as possible. The best units and the best prices don’t last long,” Sato said.
David Teitelbaum, owner/operator of the Tradewinds, Tortuga Inn and SeaSide resorts of Bradenton Beach, said the rush for reservations began in earnest two weeks ago.
“One day, it was all quiet, and the next day we had five people working the reservation lines,” he said.
“People don’t book ahead anymore. They are now booking one or two weeks in advance, or maybe just a few days before they want to arrive. We try to find room for everyone, but the way reservations have been coming, I would tell everyone to make reservations early,” Teitelbaum said.
With a steady flow of reservations at all three resorts, Teitelbaum proclaimed the season is “shaping up nicely.”
Brockman agreed.
“Everyone is filling up for Thanksgiving,” she said. “I haven’t heard any complaints from members, and if you’re thinking about a Thanksgiving or Christmas weekend here, call now.”
It appears the numerous media articles and web stories about the quiet, family-oriented, old Florida atmosphere of an Anna Maria Island vacation spurred considerable interest, she noted.
“We’re getting e-mails and phone calls every day from people asking about the Island, telling us they just read a story or saw an advertisement. They want to know more about the Island.”
Island discovered
Along with more than 5,000 hits on the chamber’s website in October, the chamber had more than 2,000 e-mails that month requesting information about the Island, as well as 2,074 walk-ins to its office, 682 people phoning for a brochure or vacation packet and 577 people visited the chamber’s page on Facebook.
“And that was just October,” exclaimed Brockman.
In the past two years, stories about the old Florida atmosphere on Anna Maria Island have been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Southern Living, Los
Angeles Times and other print media, in addition to Island highlights on the web and television.
And the chamber continues to spread the news about the benefits of an Island vacation.
Brockman said several chamber members purchased co-op ads in an upcoming issue of the New York Observer tabloid, which is read more than any other newspaper by Manhattan’s most affluent residents, according to the website Wikipedia.