Many vacationers filling beds and beaches earlier this summer arrived to Anna Maria Island on less than a tank of gas.
Research Data Services provided a visitor profile to Manatee County Tourist Development Council members, who met Aug. 17 at the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto.
The profile included demographics and other details about visitors in June, including from where they arrived, lodging location, length of stay and economic impact in the fourth month of the coronavirus in the United States.
By June, the state had eased restrictions on vacation rentals and allowed expanded operations at restaurants, but many pandemic precautions remained for tourism-related businesses and tourists.
In June, an estimated 48,710 people visited Manatee County from elsewhere in Florida. The number is 121.6% higher than the figure for June 2019, when 21,980 Floridians visited the county.
Meanwhile, Research Data Services reported no Europeans visited the county in June, down 100% from June 2019, when an estimated 14,320 visited.
“This is a big concern … because that European market is very important to us in the fall of the year, and it adds additional uncertainty in terms of how the rest of the year is going to shape up,” said RDS’s Anne Wittine.
About 12,230 visitors came from the Midwest, down 46.3% from the year before, and 12,930 people visited from the Northeast, down 73.2%.
An estimated 11,840 people from the Southeast visited and 620 Canadians visited, down 77.4% from June 2019.
Lodging numbers, room nights and spending in June were done compared to June 2019:
- Room nights, down 13.5% at 137,100;
- Direct expenditures, down 21.6% at $48,350,400;
- Economic impact, down 21.6% at $76,359,800;
- Tourist tax collections, down 12.7% at $1,443,184.
Numbers also are down for fiscal year 2019-20:
- Room nights, down 11.3% at 1,236,700;
- Direct expenditures, down 15.5% at $465,672,700;
- Economic impact, down 15.5% at $735,439,000;
- Tourist tax collections, down 13.7% at 11,164,255.
Occupancy fell 16.2% in the county, as well as on Anna Maria Island.
Room rates also were down in June but held better on the island than the mainland. Room rates on Anna Maria Island dropped 5.7% from June 2019 to June 2020, but rates fell 17.6% on the mainland.
Wittine overall was upbeat about the numbers, considering the situation.
“Year to date, for this nine-month period, with three and a half months of it being impacted by COVID-19, we are remarkably only seeing visitors down by 13.7% and economic impact down by 5.5%,” she said.
The TDC also reviewed a report on activity at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, as well as heard from local leaders in the business and tourism communities, including Terri Kinder of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce.
Also, the TDC voted unanimously to recommend the county commission rescind a $5 million commitment to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium to market its City Island operations and promote a new aquarium in Sarasota County.
In February, the county commission authorized funding of $1 million a year over five years, despite a recommendation from TDC for a lesser amount, $1.25 million over 25 years.
TDC member Barbara Baker, a hotelier, motioned to recommend rescinding the funding, which would come from the TDC’s reserve account, and revisit Mote’s request in a year.
The next TDC meeting will be at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19. The location is not determined.
About the TDC
The nine-member advisory committee makes recommendations to the board of county commissioners on the expenditures of tourist tax revenues — a 5 percent tax on accommodations of six months or less.
The board includes Manatee County Commissioner Misty Servia, Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston, Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant, hoteliers Jiten Patel, Ed Chiles, Eric Cairns and Barbara Baker and citizens Jack Rynerson and Vernon DeSear.
Island chamber offers TDC summer assessment
Buy local.
Buy island.
Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce president Terri Kinder addressed Manatee County Tourist Development Council members Aug. 17, bringing AMI news to the convention center in Palmetto.
The chamber consists of 583 member-businesses, about 95% of them driven by tourism, Kinder told the TDC.
Six months into the pandemic, she said members’ struggle continues.
“As you go out there, stop and eat something,” Kinder said. “Stop and buy something. Support small businesses.”
Kinder compared island commerce in June and July to the same period in 2019 and said generally:
- Resorts, which were not required to close during the state-ordered lockdown, saw better numbers this year than last year.
- Vacation rental managers reported occupancy at 98%-100% after the state authorized short-term rentals to resume.
- Larger restaurants, with seating at 50% capacity, reported business down 17%-25%. About the smaller restaurants, Kinder said, “Some of them are struggling badly.”
- Retailers welcomed Manatee County’s mask mandate, which requires face coverings inside businesses. “It kept them from having to be the bad guy,” said Kinder.
— Lisa Neff
No European tourists in June, hmm, I wonder why that is?… Oh wait, maybe its because Mr Trump has cancelled all of our visas. We can’t wait to come back so maybe you need to tell him to reinstate our visas. Hope to see you soon.