One of our newest neighborhood murals, in partnership with the Fort Myers Mural Society, is located on the side of Cape Coral Community Redevelopment Agency's building, 1231 Lafayette St., Cape Coral.

VISIT FLORIDA's 'One Fun Day' spotlights fun for visitors to Lee County

May is here and the VCB is busy promoting the destination in-state and around the world.

We want to let you know about media placements that are underway and how we are partnering with VISIT FLORIDA campaigns to drive traffic to Lee County. 

VISIT FLORIDA DMO Summer In-State Video Program
We are participating in VISIT FLORIDA's DMO summer video co-op program, which includes an eight-week, in-state broadcast flight with Comcast, Spectrum, Cox and Effectv, which will generate roughly 8.3 million impressions.

We will utilize our addressable audience #MyFortMyers videos and expect to see this positively impact in-state summer visitation to the area. 
This campaign began April 8 and runs through June 2.

VISIT FLORIDA's "One Fun Day"

One Fun Day is an established YouTube video series that features daily itineraries from around the state. VISIT FLORIDA visited three Lee County locations – Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa, Lovers Key State Park and Backyard Social – to create our One Fun Day episode.

The distribution plan includes a six-week paid social media approach on Meta and YouTube, targeting interest based groups including Adventure/Outdoor Enthusiasts, Arts/Culture/Culinary, Beach/Marine and Family across top out-of-state markets predominantly in the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast. 
The campaign launched April 22 and also runs through June 2. 

IPW in Los Angeles
Members of our sales, marketing and communications teams will be representing the destination in Los Angeles, May 3-7. U.S. Travel Association's IPW is an appointment-based show where we meet with international buyers of travel and journalists from over 70 countries to network, foster relationships and build connections. 

We hope everyone has a great month and thank you for all you do to promote Lee County. 

Share your thoughts

The VCB is conducting an Industry Partner Engagement Survey. We value your insights and would greatly appreciate your participation in this anonymous, 5-minute survey, which will help us better understand your needs and identify areas for improvement.

Thank you in advance for sharing your time, opinions and continued partnership.

Update on 'Rachel at the Well' statue 

If you're an industry partner and would like to be considered for a VCB Partner Spotlight, please contact Ray Sarracino, VCB communications director, at rsarracino@leegov.com

Add your deal to the VCB's new Calusa Blueway Challenge

If your business is located along the nearly 200-mile Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail, post a deal in the Calusa Blueway Challenge. This gamified passport is a collaboration between Lee County Parks & Recreation and the VCB, and is part of a yearlong celebration of the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail's 20th anniversary.
 
How it works: The Calusa Blueway Challenge will offer points for check-ins at attractions and businesses along the trail. Points collected can be exchanged for prizes, provided by the VCB. Those who complete the challenge will be entered to win a grand prize of a standup paddleboard or overnight stay in the destination.

Launch date: The Challenge continues through February 2025.
 
It's free: As a valued partner of the VCB, there is no cost for your business to participate.

Questions: Contact the VCB's Alison Giesen at agiesen@leegov.com to learn more.

VCB's Performance Dashboard 

Explore the Symphony dashboard, developed by the VCB in partnership with Tourism Economics. The dashboard combines all our destination data sources to make data insights more user-friendly and interactive.

Key insights: 

• Average length of stay in February was 3.2 days, with 81% of stays including an overnight. This is similar to what we observed for January, with a slight increase in overnights. Source: Near

• In-state markets made up 4 of the top 5 arrival markets from Near, with Tampa being the highest. The remaining markets in the top 5 include Miami, Orlando, Chicago and West Palm Beach. The top 3 points of interest (POI) for domestic visitors were Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Bonita Springs. Source: Near

• Canada was the top international market again in February and maintained the growth we saw in January. In February, the average length of stay for Canadian visitors was 6.2 days, compared to 4.4 in December. Toronto was the top origin market again with a 26.5% share, followed by Montreal at 9%. Source: Near 

• Expedia shows that 65% of hotel bookings for February were 1-2 days in length, similar to January’s performance. Longer stays continued to occur with vacation rentals, where 48% of stays were 6-9 days. Source: Expedia

• Hotel room supply and demand for coastal properties increased by 47% and 45.3% YOY respectively, with coastal hotel revenue increasing by 57% compared to February 2023. Source: STR

• Over 1.2 million total passengers flew to/from Southwest Florida International Airport in February, a 26.5% YOY increase over February 2023 and a 6.5% increase from the pre-Ian numbers of February 2022 Source: Lee County Port Authority
  
  

  VIEW THE PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD

May paid media placements

Our efforts in FY23/24 Q3 are largely to influence summer visitation, as well as to support the groups/meetings business. Here is a snapshot of our paid media placements launching in May. 

Consumer:

• Shermans Travel – display
• Florida Golf Alliance – e-newsletter
• Garden & Gun – custom content

Meetings, weddings, travel trade:

• Florida Trend – print ad
• Association Convention – print ad
• FSAE – e-newsletter
• Bridal Guide – custom content, native ad
• Mobilefuse – geofencing display (co-op) 
• Recommend – dedicated email
• Agent@Home – custom content
• Honeyfund – email

Threshold 360 offers free filming of your business

Have you taken advantage of Threshold 360's free filming for industry partners? Don't miss out on this amazing, free opportunity for your tourism business. Questions? Contact the VCB's Jennifer Walla at jwalla@leegov.com

In partnership with the VCB, Threshold 360's videos can be used to promote your business in the following ways:

• Uploaded to your Google My Business page
• Sent to potential visitors and clients
• Used in presentations or group proposals
• Added to your listing on VisitFortMyers.com

Guests First summer training schedule is now available

Guests First's Crystal Wanke and VCB colleague Thomas Derathe recently attended the Simpleview Summit in Milwaukee.

Domestic sales activities

Rotating photos include:

• (Photos 1-3) Travel & Adventure Show, March 9-10: Jennifer Walla, VCB, had a booth on the trade show floor and participated in the TAS Passport Program for travel advisors. There were over 8,000 consumers who attended and Jennifer spoke to over 320 travel advisors at this show in Atlanta.
  
  
• (Photos 4-5) CMP Advance, March 10-12: Erin Lester, VCB, attended education sessions and networked with Certified Meeting Professionals (CMPs) at this CMP-only conference. There were about 150 CMPs in attendance at this exclusive conference in Toronto.
  
  
• (Photo 6) Destination Florida Client Event, March 26-27: Erin Lester, VCB, co-hosted a client event and networked with over 120 Florida meeting professionals in the greater Tallahassee area.

International sales activities

• (Photo 1) USA Travel Show, March 1: Hanna Johansson, VCB Scandinavia, attended the event in Copenhagen, which was hosted by the Danish Discover America committee. This year's event was one of the largest in its history and featured representatives from nearly half of the U.S. The event reflects Denmark's strong interest in the U.S. as a travel destination, highlighting new opportunities for Danish travelers.

• (Photos 2-3) Johansson also attended Swanson’s America Day in Malmö, Sweden on March 2 (Photo 2), and FDM Travel’s USA Expo on March 3 in Copenhagen (Photo 3). Both shows experienced record-breaking attendance. She also held a destination presentation, which was full of visitors expressing interest in the destination.

• (Photos 4-5) ITB Berlin, March 4-6: Charm Evans, VCB, along with the German VCB team attended ITB Berlin, one of the largest global B2B travel trade shows, where they conducted 40 one-on-one meetings with travel trade and media, radio interviews and hosted the annual Discover Airlines dinner event with our partners from the Lee County Port Authority.

• (Photo 6) 2024 Outdoor Adventure Show Montreal, March 23-24: The Canada VCB team participated in the two-day Montreal Outdoor Adventure Show, which attracted almost 20,000 consumers interested in outdoor nature-oriented destinations. Renee Wilson, Quebec account representative, answered questions regarding RV parks and camping grounds, kayak and paddling trails as well as cycling within the destination. 

May sales events

Communications team activities

What's New in Fort Myers press trip, April 16-19: Three travel journalists visited the destination to experience a sampling of new things to do, including a visit to the Mural Mosaic's Global Roots project at Cornog Plaza near the Fort Myers Regional Library in downtown Fort Myers. From left, Kim Weiss, Texas Lifestyle Magazine; Shari Shifrin, Fort Myers Mural Society executive director; Theresa Norton, Agent@Home Magazine; Lea Komitzky, NJF rep for the VCB; Brendan O'Connor, Orlando Magazine. The group also visited the mural wall at McCollum Hall and experienced Margaritaville Beach Resort, Voodoo Brewing, The Shipyard, Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, Nautical Tiki Cruises, Capt. Brian on the Water, Cabbage Key, Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium, Banyan Hotel, Hampton Inn Fort Myers Downtown, Snug Harbor Waterfront Restaurant and more. 

Communications earned media results

Visitor Services activities

Tourism Ambassador training: Pamela Johnson, VCB deputy director, provided refresher training to our Tourism Ambassadors about the VCB's mission and programs. 

Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: We celebrated National Volunteer Month honoring "How the Guest was Won" by our dedicated Tourism Ambassadors at our annual volunteer appreciation luncheon. In 2023, our ambassadors worked 27,411 hours and assisted 390,448 visitors while staffing the information booths and roaming the terminal at Southwest Florida International Airport. This is a savings of $847,596 to Lee County, Lee County Port Authority and VCB.

Pace Center for Girls honors TDC board member Fran Myers 

Longtime TDC member Fran Myers was honored recently by Pace Center for Girls, Lee at its 16th annual Grande Dames Tea event. The theme was "The Wisdom of Time: Honoring the Female Spirit" and the event raised a record $81,000 in support of programs for Pace Lee.

Myers, a fearless advocate for the community of Fort Myers Beach, has been recognized through numerous appointments and honors. She served as the first female chairperson of the Lee County Port Authority and is the longest-serving member of the TDC. She co-owned the iconic Red Coconut RV Park from 1982-2023. 

May 16: Attractions Marketing funding webinar

The Attractions Marketing Funding Program opens with a webinar at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 16. Lee County nonprofit attraction partners are welcome to apply for funding.

To learn more about this program and to register for the webinar click here. This webinar is mandatory to apply for funding. 

Click here to view these events and more on our partner events page. Questions? Contact Alison Giesen at agiesen@leegov.com.

Virtual Hurricane Workshop set for June 6

The VCB's annual Tourism Partner Hurricane Workshop will be held virtually on Thursday, June 6. Please stay tuned for more details and be sure to update your business information on the Simpleview Extranet. If you need to update or gain access, please email the VCB's Pam Brown. 

Bonita Springs

• Construction begins on Sauna House in Bonita Springs
• Sports Challenge America expands with 12 new pickleball courts
• Wonder Gardens solidifies partnership with city of Bonita Springs

Cape Coral

• Let's Waffle opens in Cape Coral
• Proposed new uses to Cape land development code aim to promote business opportunities

Estero

• 3 new restaurants coming this fall to Coconut Point
• Estero Planning Board sends design for entertainment complex back to drawing board

Fort Myers 

• Fort Myers ranked among best small cities to start a business
• Lee County's spring training teams report strong 2024 attendance
• Observation wheel proposed for downtown Fort Myers
• Take Two Coffee to celebrate grand opening in Fort Myers
• Ken Weiner of Chloe's Cookies on the mindset for sweet success
• Nonchalance eatery opens in south Fort Myers
• Fort Myers CRA seek visionaries to create Fort Myers' Innovation Walk
• U.S. 41 Caloosahatchee River Bridge construction begins April 7 
• Downtown Fort Myers may feature free parking in the evening
• Michela's Pizzeria looks to fill south Fort Myers neighborhood void
• Golden Marine Systems restores Gulf Harbour Yacht Club
• Burroughs Home set for renovations following Hurricane Ian damage
• Former Hollywood talent agent opens Crooked Halos gift shop

Fort Myers Beach

• DRMP Inc. awarded design contract for Lynn Hall Memorial Park
• Lee commissioners award design contract for Fort Myers Beach Fishing Pier
• Pink Shell Resort marina reopens after Hurricane Ian
• Offshore Sailing School to return to Fort Myers Beach
• Elevator supply issue impacting Fort Myers Beach

Punta Gorda Airport

• Punta Gorda Airport's March passenger count broke all-time record

St. James City

• St. James City's The Waterfront Restaurant and Marina reopens

Sanibel Island

• Sanibel Recreation Center outdoor courts reopen
• 'Ding,' SanCap Chamber cut ribbon on Roving Ranger, Learning Lavatories at chamber visitor center
• Bait Box reopens on Sanibel
• Lighthouse Cafe to reopen at new Sanibel Island location
• Cheeburger Cheeburger reopens on Sanibel
• Sanibel Siesta on the Beach reopens following Hurricane Ian damage
• Wickies Lighthouse Restaurant opens on the east end of Sanibel

Southwest Florida

• LeeTran posts new mobile app for its on-demand transit service
• Babcock Ranch, FPL unveil Solar Ranch Eco-Discovery Center
• SWFL labor force increases by 6,287 in March

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)

• Breeze Airways adds Fort Myers as 'base of operations' in October
• RSW passenger traffic increases 29% in March