Tag Archives: tourism

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Tampa Bay tries to stand out in wave of lists and rankings

By Justine Griffin for the Tampa Bay Times


We are a nation of lists and rankings.

Top places to retire. Top party spots. Best beaches. Best cities for runners. Worst cities for runners. Top dining destinations. Best place to launch a business. Most romantic cities. Least romantic cities. Best cities to buy a home. Top cities for dogs. America’s sweatiest cities. (No joke; Tampa, by the way, is tops).

Lists and rankings are everywhere — our inboxes, our Facebook feeds, on nearly every website we visit.

They often include Tampa Bay cities. St. Petersburg is No. 1 for millennials in Florida. Tampa is the nation’s second-best beer town. Clearwater Beach has a bevy of “best beach” titles.

And on and on. Enough already, right?

“There’s a new list out every minute, it seems,” said Patrick Harrison, vice president of marketing and communication for Visit Tampa Bay, the tourism marketing arm of Hillsborough County. “Once the Internet took off, lists took over as the first true form of clickbait, but now you’re seeing them from lesser-known websites and media outlets.”

Read more here. 

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Tourism promoters keep eye on Europe’s economy

By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune

The tourism business in Southwest Florida celebrated record-breaking growth in 2014, but local tourism boosters keep a watchful eye on what’s happening overseas and how an economic downturn in Europe might affect travel this season.

Europe’s stagnant economy, a weakening euro and a stronger U.S. dollar may deter some Europeans from taking summer vacations in Southwest Florida. The region has seen a steady growth in travelers coming from countries like Germany and the United Kingdom in recent years, especially during the summer and fall, traditionally slow time of the year for Sarasota and Manatee counties.

“Any major economic upheaval is always a concern to us,” said Virgina Haley, president of Visit Sarasota, the county’s tourism agency. “We’ve been monitoring what’s happening overseas for some time now, but haven’t seen any trip cancellations yet.

“Actually, our summer bookings are very strong,” Haley said.

The tourism chief cites Sarasota as an affordable destination, even in tough times, compared with cities like London or New York, which have a larger draw for international tourists.

European traffic was up 11.5 percent in October compared with the same month in 2013 for Sarasota County, making it the biggest month for European travel last year, Haley said. In November, European travel increased by 5.8 percent compared with the same month in 2013.

Read more here.

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Same-sex marriages could provide tourism boost

By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune

In just a few short weeks, Florida could become the next state to allow same-sex marriage.

It’s a day that tourism boosters in Southwest Florida have been preparing for for some time.

Barring a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court, same-sex couples should soon — at least legally speaking — be able to obtain a marriage license from county clerk’s offices across Florida.

A federal judge in Tallahassee ruled during August that the state’s voter-approved prohibition of same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. He stayed his ruling, pending appeal, until Jan. 5. Earlier this month, with no appeal scheduled, a federal appeals court denied requests to extend the stay, which could the allow same-sex couples in Florida to begin marrying as soon as Jan. 6.

Sarasota County’s Clerk of Court staff is looking at the necessary corrections that will need to be made to all marriage licenses if the law does change in January.

Read more here.

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Sarasota sports strategy: Just build it

By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune.

Sarasota BMX Park

Photo by Thomas Bender, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

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Sarasota County officials have developed a formula they hope will grow a variety of sports in the region: Build it and they will come.

Following the success of Nathan Benderson Park, once a mining pit used for highway construction and now the site of the 2017 World Rowing Championships, Sarasota County plans to build an Olympic-level supercross BMX track for cyclists at the existing Sarasota BMX Track on Tuttle Avenue and 17th Street.

The 40-year-old park is the longest-standing BMX track in the United States and will soon be one of only two in the country that boasts an Olympic-level supercross track, said Carolyn Brown, Sarasota County’s director of parks and recreation.

“Over the years the park has served thousands of children and adults, but the improvements will allow Sarasota to host a higher level of competition,” Brown said. “More people can stay here and train. The economic impact will be great — these people will use our hotels and possibly even move here.”

The county has allocated $1.7 million, partially funded through tourism development tax dollars, to go toward building the professional-level track, which will run alongside the existing amateur track. The new track requires an 8-meterstarting ramp, compared with the existing 5-meter ramp, and larger obstacles.

Construction is set to begin in October, Brown said, and the new track is expected to be completed by summer 2015. Officials are considering doing the construction in phases, which would allow the track to remain open.

Read the full story here.

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A year of change at the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota

Jack Dusty Anniversary Party

By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune

It has been a good year for Jack Dusty, the nautical-themed restaurant that has helped transform the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota.

The upscale resort property has made significant moves recently to redefine luxury in Southwest Florida.

The Ritz has been the standard of high-end resort and condominium living and dining in Sarasota, but in the last year the has property shifted away from the idea that a grander lifestyle must be exclusive and pretentious.

The hotel has instead taken on a more modern, hip and casual approach.

Read more here.