The numbers look good — and the Manatee County Tourist Development Council is taking at least partial credit for an increase in visitors and dollars to the area.
County tourist tax collections were up 10.6 % in February 2019 over the February 2018 numbers. January numbers climbed 2.2%.
Walter Klages, of Data Research Services of Tampa, presented his tourism report and, it too, showed gains, despite 2018’s long red tide crisis.
“Our tourism is well and healthy,” Klages said.
The total economic impact for 2018 for the county was up 3.6% to $1,290.837,300. That number includes spending by day-trippers — those who visit the island and the beaches but do not use lodging facilities.
Resort tax collections were up 7.2% over 2017. Visitors paid $54.4 million — an increase of 4.0% — in state and local option sales taxes.
Though occupancy fell overall, the average daily rate for lodging grew 0.3%.
In 2018, Klages reported, couples and families made up 89.3% of visitors, and they stayed 5.7 nights on average. The majority — 53.7% — came by air, and parties traveling together averaged three people. The medium household income of visitors was $119,163.
“It’s good news, really good news,” Klages said. “We went through a period of time, tornadic in nature, and we’ve come out of it fine.
Tourist tax collections for March 2019 were up 10.60% for Manatee County from March 2018. On Anna Maria Island, Holmes Beach led with an 18.7% increase in tourist tax collections. Bradenton Beach taxes increased by 11.9% and Anna Maria increased 6.1%.
Janene Amick, chief executive officer of the Manatee Performing Arts Center in Bradenton, gave a limited report on the Bradenton Gulf Coast Concert Series, which took place at MPAC and the Center of Anna Maria Island in Anna Maria.
The events were funded with tourist tax dollars through a sponsorship by the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, an agency of the TDC.
Amick reported the TDC-sponsored events brought in $100,000 in gross ticket sales, and that 2,500 people attended the four island concerts. No expenditures or profit numbers were presented.
Amick also reported a surge in ticket sales at MPAC, noting the venue had widened its circle of events to include not only plays, but also recitals, concerts, speakers and more.
In addition to the music concerts, the MPAC hosted a one-woman show Feb. 2, with Xernona Clayton, and another event, Mary Powers “Women’s Enlightenment Conference,” was postponed.
Kelly Clark, director of communications for the BACVB, gave a winter communication update, discussing several projects.
A promotion with Madison Square Gardens Network in New York — Manatee County’s largest feeder market — resulted in 6 million impressions, according to Clark, and a 321% increase in BACVB website traffic during the promotion. Plans are underway to pair with the network for additional promotions.
The BACVB partnered with Visit Tampa and Visit Florida for a campaign in London to create more awareness in that market.
“Partnering with Visit Tampa and Visit Florida stretched our dollars in the No. 1 feeder market in Europe that comes to the Bradenton area,” Elliott Falcione, executive director of the BACVB, said. “It’s so important.”
Clark also discussed the Jane Seymour statue funded in January by the BACVB for Riverwalk park in Bradenton, stating that Seymour “intends to have a statue in every state and ours is the first.”
About the statue, Falcione said, “It did exactly what it was supposed to do. It created over 64 million marketplace impressions. If you have a globally recognized artist sculpture in your community, it creates awareness and drives them to the urban core,” Falcione said.
Falcione told the TDC members, “This TDC has to be bold. We need to not fear. We have to take risks when we are challenged. We have to be creative and unique and almost artistic in order to be competitive. We will do things legally and we will do things ethically.”
Falcione and MPAC recently denied record requests made March 15 for contracts and expenses from the celebrity visit by Seymour and the concerts, although some purchase orders were provided by the county records department.
In other business, Falcione discussed the need for ADA compliance on the BACVB website and asked for a funding recommendation from the TDC. He noted the Premier Sports Campus website would be rolled into the BACVB website, and both will be ADA compliant by Aug. 1. The funding passed unanimously.
Mark Stucky, chief operating officer of the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, gave a construction update and news about carriers and flights.
Carriers added 18 new nonstop destinations with 23 new routes in the past year, and travel at SRQ is up to about 350 takeoffs and landings per day.
Members of the TDC present at the meeting were vice-chairman Vernon DeSear, Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston, Anna Maria Commissioner Doug Copeland, Jack Rynerson and Eric Cairns. TDC chair and County Commissioner Carol Whitmore, Ed Chiles and Jiten Patel were absent.
The TDC makes recommendations to the county commission for projects and spending for tourist development tax revenues. The council consists of nine people appointed to four-year terms.