Locals agree with the appraisal.
In late July, the online travel blog ParkSleepFly.com rated Anna Maria Island the No. 6 “best hidden gem” in the United States.
The bloggers compiled a list of 150 attractions and landmarks and used Google search volume from June 2021 to May 2022 and Google Maps review scores to determine their rankings.
The island was bested by Grand Teton National Park, Badlands National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Garden of the Gods and Mount Vernon.
But the approximately 7-mile-long barrier isle beat out household-name destinations, including Devils Tower, North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Mackinac Island and Mammoth Cave National Park.
There’s no doubt about the Bradenton area’s popularity with first-time visitors, 94% of whom return within a year, according to Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Elliott Falcione.
However, the region — which experienced a tourism boom during the pandemic — could be transcending its “hidden gem” status.
The BACVB uses 2019 metrics as its pre-pandemic benchmark data and Manatee County resort development tax revenue as an indicator of visitation levels.
The resort tax or bed tax is a 5% levy on room rentals of six months or less.
For 17 consecutive months, the county has earned more revenue from the tax than in the same month in the preceding year.
In July, for example, the county earned $2,800,988 in resort tax revenue, up from $1,398,555 in July 2019.
The island’s municipalities — Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria — accounted for more than 50% of the county’s overall resort tax earnings in July.
On Sept. 20, thetravel.com, another travel website, ranked Bradenton Beach the No. 6 “cheapest vacation spot in Florida for 2022.”
Though the outfit did not include its ranking methodology, it lauded the city’s world-famous beaches, namely Coquina Beach; the scenic Historic Bridge Street Pier; Gulf of Mexico sightseeing charters and inexpensive hotels.
The pandemic-era tourism boom appears to have leveled off in recent months as monthly bed tax earnings have narrowly surpassed 2021 levels.
According to a Sept. 19 news release from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport CEO Fredrick Piccolo, the airport — a major feeder of tourists to the island — saw a 2.9% decrease in passenger volume in August compared to August 2021.
Tourism industry proprietors and analysts have pointed to competition from other vacation destinations no longer impacted by pandemic restrictions and an inflated island rental market as factors contributing to the deceleration trend.
Economic factors, such as inflation and high fuel prices, also may be playing a role, meaning the affordability of island vacations could, in part, determine how busy the area will be this fall and winter.
So maybe the Bradenton Beach “cheapest” ranking will help boost travel to AMI after all.