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Sanibel Island

Register now for VCB's virtual hurricane preparedness workshop June 6 

June in Southwest Florida means it is time to prepare for hurricane season. Florida's hurricane season officially began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. 

Please join us for an interactive virtual workshop and hear from the
National Weather Service about this year’s predictions. The 2024 hurricane season is forecast to be one of the most active on record with most predictions calling for more than 20 named storms. 

Our speakers will share best practices, lessons learned and offer guidance on how to prepare for hurricane season. Being prepared can enhance safety and simplify the recovery process. 

VCB Annual Hurricane Tourism Industry Virtual Workshop
When: 9-11 a.m., Thursday, June 6
Registration deadline: Thursday, June 6

REGISTER FOR HURRICANE WORKSHOP

Also, don't forget to update your storm preparedness information on the Simpleview Extranet. If you have questions or do not have login information, please contact VCB staff:  


Got a deal for Island Hopper Songwriter Fest?
Island Hopper Songwriter Fest
is set for Sept. 20-29 and will be here before you know it. We have a great way for industry partners to include their lodging deals. 

Include your deal today and get free business exposure. Your business and deal – will be featured on islandhopperfest.com, visitfortmyers.com and the official Island Hopper app. 

Last year, the Island Hopper website received 187,404 views and the mobile app had more than 3,000 users and accounted for approximately 182,000 screen views. This is a great opportunity during late summer/early fall to help increase revenue.

National Seashell Day June 20
Celebrate the first day of summer or, as we locals like to call it, National Seashell Day

With more than 50 miles of beaches and over 400 species of seashells that often cover the white sands, there’s no other place quite like Southwest Florida for shell hunting. Sanibel Island's status as the “Seashell Capital of the World” continues to be unmatched and we welcome everyone to shellebrate on its white-sand beaches. 

Keep cool, have a great June and thank you for all you do to make this a wonderful destination.

 
Executive Director
 
 

 

Audrey Graf, fiscal officer

The VCB welcomes Audrey Graf as its new fiscal officer. Among her duties and responsibilities, Graf will oversee and review all revenue input processed by staff, monitor program/grant revenues and expenditures, and assist in creating and managing annual fiscal year operating expenses budget.

Graf has been with Lee County for 12 years and counting. Most recently, she was a fiscal specialist supporting the Utilities Department; prior years were spent as an administrative specialist for County Administration. 

Graf was introduced to Lee County as a teenager during a family vacation here. Ever since, she has called Southwest Florida her home. Her weekends are spent relaxing with a good book or enjoying time spent with her daughter. A perfect evening would be watching a storm roll in while sitting outside near the water.

Get to know Audrey Graf

  • What is your go-to restaurant in Lee County? Olive Garden
  • What are some interesting facts someone might be surprised to learn about you?
    1. I love going to Flea Masters and then lunch on the weekends.
    2. My favorite author is Nora Roberts / J.D. Robb.
Lee County News

National Travel and Tourism Week celebrated our industry partners

While National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) is officially over, we wanted to share this video of some of our industry partners receiving challenge coins for going the extra SMILE to make our destination SHINE. 

Many landmarks throughout Lee County participated in "Light Up Lee" and used blue lights to celebrate NTTW during the week of May 19-25. Light Up Lee locations included the control tower at Southwest Florida International Airport, Luminary Hotel & Co., Cape Coral City Hall fountain, Cape Coral Veterans Memorial Monument, IMAG History & Science Center, and Edison and Ford Winter Estates. 

To make it official, the Lee Board of County Commissioners proclaimed the week as National Travel and Tourism Week in Lee County. Watch video here

Voodoo Brewing Co. 

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.

CLICK HERE TO ADD YOUR DEAL

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 March was 3.2 days, with 81% of stays including an overnight. There was no change from February data. Source: Near 

  • In-state markets made up 3 of the Top 5 arrival markets in March, with Tampa still being the highest. The remaining markets in the Top 5 include Miami, Orlando, Chicago and New York. Source: Near

  • Canada was the top international market again in March, with the average length of stay for Canadian visitors still at 6.2 days. Toronto remains the top Canadian origin market. Source: Near 

  • Expedia shows that 63% of hotel bookings for March were 1-2 days in length, similar to February’s performance. Longer stays continued to occur with vacation rentals, with 47% of stays lasting 6-9 days. Source: Expedia

  • Over 1.5 million passengers flew to/from Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in March, a 29% increase compared to March 2023. It was also the second-best March reported in the 41-year history of RSW Airport. Source: Lee County Port Authority

    VIEW THE PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD

June 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 June. 

Consumer:

  • eTarget – dedicated email (co-op)
  • Expedia – out-of-home, custom content, native ad, display
  • Shermans Travel – dedicated email
  • The Local Palate – full page print ad

Meetings, weddings, travel trade:

  • Bridal Guide – sponsored social post
  • Convention South – eNewsletter feature
  • Corporate & Incentive – display, full page print ad, dedicated email (co-op), eNewsletter banner
  • Florida Trend – display
  • Honeyfund – custom content blog
  • Recommend – dedicated email
  • Small Market Meetings – full page print ad
  • Travel Market Report – eNewsletter feature, dedicated email, homepage logo banner ad

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

OVERVIEW OF GUESTS FIRST

Domestic sales activities

Rotating photos include:

  • (Photos 1-4) Destination Celebration Shows, April 2 & 9: Lauren Hyps, VCB, and Lenne Goslin, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa, met and networked with over 200 meeting professionals in the greater Kansas City and Minneapolis areas. 

  • (Photos 5-6) ConferenceDirect APM, April 7-11: Betsy Bush, VCB, met one-on-one with ConferenceDirect meeting planners. There were about 500 meeting professionals in attendance at this annual partner meeting in Arlington, Texas. 

  • (Photos 7-9) Northeast Coast Florida Travel Agency Sales Mission & Client Event, April 23-26: (From left, photo 7) Natalie Duran, Ambridge Properties in Lee County; Tom Albrecht, Fairfield Inn & Suites Bonita Springs; Susan Cecere, Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village; Jennifer Walla, VCB; Jodi Richhart, Margaritaville Beach Resort; and Jacki Liszak, Sea Gypsy Vacation Rentals, met with 21 travel agencies from Melbourne to West Palm Beach. They also hosted a destination education client event for 12 travel advisors.

International sales activities

  • (Photo 1) Travel & Vacation Show, April 6-7: Jeanette Faria, VCB-Canada, participated in the 27th annual consumer show held in Ottawa, where approximately 16,000 consumers attended. 

  • (Photos 2-3) TravelBrands Agent Events, April 9-10: The Canada VCB team participated in the TravelBrands Agent Appreciation events held in Toronto and Montreal. Over 1,000 travel advisors attended the events to get updates from suppliers and TravelBrands. Florida was well represented at the Toronto event with more than 10 destinations present. Rene Wilson, VCB-Canada, represented the destination in Montreal and provided flyers written in French along with destination updates to the attendees.

June sales events

Communications team activities

Capt. Cefus McRae press trip, May 12-16: Capt. Cefus McRae, left, the host of TV's "Nuts & Bolts Fishing" on FOX Sports experienced fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and Pine Island Sound with Capt. Bill Hammond, right, of Endless Summer Charters. Other partners involved with his visit included Island Girl Charters and Cabbage Key. 

Communications earned media results

Visitor Services activities

Our volunteer Tourism Ambassadors enjoyed a familiarization tour where they learned about the three distinct regions of the Calusa Blueway from Mike Hammond, Blueway coordinator. They also toured the North Fort Myers Recreation Center, with a pit stop for a photo op with one of our latest murals made possible in partnership with the Fort Myers Mural Society as a part of our countywide placemaking initiative. 

NEXT TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEETING 9 A.M. JUNE 13
E AWARDS NOMINATION FORM
NOV. 6 VCB ANNUAL MEETING AT CALOOSA SOUND CONVENTION CENTER

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WHAT'S NEW IN THE DESTINATION IN JUNE
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