The Historic Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach made local tourism history during the fourth quarter of 2010, surpassing the Anna Maria City Pier as Manatee County’s most-favored non-retail attraction for visitors.
In the October-December visitor profile study for the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, tourists were asked to name area attractions and theme parks visited.
The Historic Bridge Street Pier, which has been steadily moving up in the quarterly rankings since it first appeared on the list three years ago, polled a 23 percent response, while the Anna Maria City Pier garnered 20.1 percent. Multiple responses were permitted in the study, conducted by Research Data Services of Tampa.
The Historic Bridge Street Pier topped the non-retail attractions list, but visiting the shops on St. Armands Circle was still No. 1 in the survey with a 57 percent vote. St. Armands has been the most-favored attraction of all visitors surveyed by the BACVB since the quarterly studies began in 2008.
The news was especially good for the Bridge Street Merchants organization and its members, which began holding markets on Bridge Street three years ago to attract visitors.
“We’re getting hundreds and hundreds of people for the markets,” said Jo Ann Meilner, owner of Back Alley and president of the nonprofit group.
“I think the markets have been very beneficial. My business more than doubles on market days,” she added.
At the market, independent vendors pay a fee for a booth to sell merchandise or services.
Nancy Ambrose was hired by the merchants group to manage the market, and she was pleased with the news.
“The markets have exceeded our expectations,” said Ambrose.
“All the merchants say Sunday markets are exceptional. This is our third year, and every year the market seems to draw more people,” she said.
The Bridge Street Markets are held Sundays from November through April, with the final market on Saturday, to avoid a conflict with Easter, April 24, Ambrose said.
In Anna Maria, Commissioner Jo Ann Mattick took the news in the spirit of cooperation.
“It’s all good for Anna Maria Island,” said Mattick, who chairs Anna Maria’s Transportation Enhancement Grant committee. The TEG committee obtained an $857,000 federal grant through the Florida Department of Transportation to build a boardwalk at the Anna Maria City Pier.
Construction of the boardwalk is scheduled to begin after the May 13-14 centennial celebration of the pier, Mattick confirmed.
“I congratulate the Bridge Street Merchants and the Bridge Street Pier, but we’ll be back to No. 1 with the boardwalk and warmer weather,” she predicted confidently.
In the same study, the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria received a 17.2 percent rating, giving the Island the top three non-retail attraction sites for area visitors during the fourth quarter of 2010.