"Uncommon Friends," Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and Thomas Edison by sculptor D.J. Wilkins. The sculpture is located in downtown Fort Myers. 

Co-op Advertising Program has something for everyone; Island Hopper's only 50 days away

With almost 300 opportunities available for accommodation and attraction partners, be sure to take advantage of the Lee County VCB's Cooperative Advertising Program buy-in for FY 2024-25 on Aug. 15. 

The Co-op Advertising Program offers a variety of marketing opportunities that leverage great exposure at an exceptional value. It includes digital and social media, email marketing, website advertising, tradeshows and sales events, international digital programs and more.

The Co-op buy-in will open promptly at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15, and programs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are not already registered for the program, please contact MMGY’s Joshua Lambert by noon on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at jlambert@mmgy.com. 

Island Hopper Songwriter Fest tickets going fast
Island Hopper Songwriter Fest, recently named one of the Top 5 music fests by USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, celebrates its 10-year anniversary with 10 days of outstanding performances, Sept. 20-29.

The headliners: Scotty McCreery and Jeffrey Steele

Scotty McCreery (above left) will wrap up Island Hopper with a pool party performance at Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina on Fort Myers Beach on Sept. 29. The BMI singer/songwriter is known for his hit songs, “You Time,” “Damn Strait,” “Rise and Fall,” “Cab in a Solo” and many more. 

On Sept. 26, five-time Grammy nominee and BMI singer/songwriter Jeffrey Steele (above right) will join the Gulf Coast Symphony in a live performance at the Florida Repertory Theatre in downtown Fort Myers.

More ticketed events
Sept. 25: ACMA showcase at Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in downtown Fort Myers includes performances by BMI singer/songwriters Bill Metts, Robert Bidney, Karen Cohen, Bruce Gallant and Roy Schneider. ACMA is the Association of Classical Musicians and Artists.

Sept. 27: Music Row @ Margaritaville still has VIP tickets available. The show takes place at Margaritaville Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach and includes performances by BMI singer/songwriters Kristian Bush, Kassi Ashton and Shane Proffitt.
 
Island Hopper gives fans the opportunity to see singer-songwriters perform in smaller venues with a tropical setting as the backdrop. Be sure to catch a live Island Hopper performance at these four locations around the Fort Myers area:

• Captiva Island, Sept. 20-22
• Cape Coral, Sept. 23-24
• Downtown Fort Myers, Sept. 25-26
• Fort Myers Beach, Sept. 27-29

Enter to win stay at DiamondHead Beach Resort
Download the Island Hopper app to enter to win a three-night stay at the DiamondHead Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach, tickets to Scotty McCreery on Sept. 29, and a gift bag.

For the full lineup, lodging deals and ticket information, visit IslandHopperFest.com.

Have a great August and thank you for all you do to promote tourism in Lee County. 

Emily Bodnar,
sales coordinator

Natalie Duran,
sales coordinator

Can you help? Indoor space needed to conduct in-person,
tourism surveys with guests

If you're an industry partner who has a property with available indoor space that could be used to conduct in-person guest surveys, we would like to work with you. 

We invite you to join the Economic Impact of Tourism/Visitor Profile Study in Lee County, conducted by Downs & St. Germain Research (DSG). This study gathers valuable insights on tourism trends, which helps us understand visitor demographics, behavior and preferences. 

You may be familiar with DSG's work, as they conduct our Quarterly Occupancy Study.

Your assistance in this effort will help improve our data, and DSG will provide you with quarterly reports on your property’s visitors. While at your property, DSG's experienced interviewers will conduct brief voluntary and anonymous surveys with guests, ensuring minimal disruption to guest experience.

Interested in participating? Please contact James Brendle, project director, at james@dsg-research.com or 636-358-9889.

Thank you!

Scotty's Bierwerks

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: 

• Over 843K passengers flew to/from Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in May, an 11% increase compared to May 2023. It was the second-best May reported in the 41-year history of RSW. Source: Lee County Port Authority

• Hotel room supply and demand for coastal properties increased by 45% and 42% YOY, respectively, with coastal hotel revenue increasing by 62% compared to May 2023. Source: STR

• Average length of stay in May was 3 days, with 82% of stays including an overnight and 75% were repeat visitors. Source: Near

• Destination website sessions in May increased by 25%, compared to May 2023, and increased by 52%, compared to May 2022, with 74% of all sessions being from mobile and 11% from tablet. Source: Google Analytics 

• Canada was the top international market in May with an average length of stay at 5.8 days. Toronto remains the top Canadian origin market. Source: Near

  VIEW THE PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD

August paid media placements

Our efforts in FY23/24 Q4 are largely to influence late summer and fall visitation, as well as to support the groups/meetings business. Here is a snapshot of our paid media placements launching in August. 

Consumer:

• Florida Golf Alliance – email
• TravelDesk (Island Hopper Songwriter Fest) – co-op + brand display 
• Luxury Link – dedicated email
• Shermans Travel – dedicated email
• The News-Press & Florida Weekly (Savor the Shore) – print

Meetings, weddings, travel trade:

• Wellness Travel – display homepage takeover
• AGENTatHOME – display mobile scroller
• FSAE – display homepage banner
• ePro – dedicated email
• Honeyfund – email
• Bridal Guide – native, social

International:

• Expedia UK – co-op display
• Expedia Canada – display, co-op display
• Sojern International – display, CTV, co-op display

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

Make Guests First part of your summer schedule

Domestic sales activities

Photos include:

• (Photos 1-3) TAMS Annual Conference, Client Event & AAA Sales Calls, June 20-22: Jennifer Walla, VCB, met and networked with over 160 travel professionals, co-hosted a client dinner and made sales calls to AAA Agencies in the greater Nashville area.
  
  
• (Photos 4-5) Minnesota Twins Client Event, June 20: Lauren Hyps, VCB, hosted a client event at Target Field with Lenne Goslin, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa, and Alyssa Stander, Marriott Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa, for 19 meeting professionals from the greater Minneapolis area.
  
  
• (Photo 6) PCMA edUcon 2024, June 23-26: Betsy Bush, VCB, met and networked with event planners from across the country. Over 500 meeting professionals were in attendance at this show in Detroit.

International sales activities

Rotating photos include:

• (Photos 1-2) Brand USA Canada Connect, June 3-7: Charm Evans, VCB, and Jeanette Faria, VCB Canada, attended the inaugural sales mission that took place in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary. Thirty one-on-one appointments were conducted with key tour operators, consortia and online travel agencies, as well as attending travel trade evening events. (Photo 2, from left) Casey Cavenaugh, Brand USA, with Florida delegates.

• (Photos 3-4) Expipoint Summer Vibes, June 4-5: Nadia Bourgault, VCB Germany, networked and presented to over 90 agents in Ulm and Karlsruhe.

• (Photos 5-6) Visit USA Germany Bowling Workshop June 4: Gabriele Kuminek, VCB Germany, attended the annual workshop where she networked with agents and conducted small group destination training workshops. A total of 90 travel agents were trained. 

• (Photo 7) Discover Airlines Summer Event, June 6: Nadia Bourgault, VCB Germany, attended the event along with Carol Obermeier and Brian Solis, Southwest Florida International Airport, where they engaged with the Discover Airlines team along with travel agents and German tour operators. Discover Airlines gave an update to 150 attendees on plans such as the delivery of more aircraft, being a more sustainable airline and further expanding flight frequencies from its Munich hub. 

• (Photo 8) Travelweek Summer Appreciation Event, June 19: Jeanette Faria, VCB Canada, attended the summer appreciation event in Toronto along with tour operators, airline and travel trade to learn about Travelweek’s offerings. 

• (Photo 9) Travel Market Report East Conference, June 25-26: Jeanette Faria, VCB Canada, participated in the two-day trade event and conference where industry leaders discussed the state of the travel trade and how the industry moves forward. A total of 550 travel advisors and 130 suppliers attended. (Pictured Lea-Anne Goltz, Visit Florida (center) with Florida delegates).

August sales events

Fenway media event brings home a winner

Boston Red Sox Media and Sales Event, July 13: (Photo 1) Betsy Bush, VCB sales; Tamara Parker, Marriott Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa; and Miriam Dotson, VCB communications, outside Fenway Park. (Photo 2) Nicole Oliverio, My Mickey Travel; Randy Scott, ESPN SportsCenter anchor; and Miriam Dotson, VCB. Other travel writers included Diane Bair and Malcolm Johnson. 

German radio host visits destination

German radio host Eike Knall visited the destination July 13-16, and conducted interviews for his travel segments on Radio Frankfurt. (Pictured above) Knall interviewed Marika Weiss of Peter's German Ice Cream & Coffee Shop in downtown Fort Myers, and Scott Melick, owner of Scotty’s Bierwerks in Cape Coral.

During his visit, Knall also interviewed the following industry partners:

• Pasquale Russo, Tutti Pazzi Italian Kitchen, Sanibel 
• Jason Parrish, Florida Repertory Theatre, downtown Fort Myers 
• Shari Shifrin, Fort Myers Mural Society, downtown Fort Myers 
• Keith Towles, Voodoo Brewing Co., downtown Fort Myers 
  

Communications earned media results

Industry Appreciation Awards, Oct. 25

Babcock Ranch

• New retail shops, medical services slated for Babcock Ranch

Bonita Springs

•  Bonita Springs firefighter opens community pub

Cape Coral

• Cape Coral breaks ground on Festival Park
• Cape Coral launches flood risk information portal
• Vicky Bakery to expand to Cape Coral
• Jimmy's Java brews a recipe for success
• Study: Cape Coral among best cities for first-time homebuyers in 2024

Captiva Island

• The Bubble Room to reopen sometime in 2024

Estero

• Boss opens store at Miromar Outlets
• Over-the-top milkshakes: Extreme ice cream at Estero's new 810 Billiards & Bowling

Fort Myers 

• Fort Myers-based Mitra9 beverages to be available at Murphy USA gas stations in Florida
• Florida Boy Burger Co. to open in Fort Myers
• FIRST LOOK: What Fort Myers wants to build over Colonial Boulevard
• Plans submitted to replace Sanibel Outlets with nearly 500 residential units
• New plan to prevent flooding in Fort Myers community with kayaking trail
• Resurgence Brewing, Central Rock Gym celebrate groundbreaking in south Fort Myers

Fort Myers Beach

• Dolphin Inn demolished nearly two years after Hurricane Ian
• Bonita Bill's restaurant on market as Semmer family decides to sell

North Fort Myers

• ECHO to host week-long course on food forests, garden design, planning 

Pine Island

• Two Pine Island waterfront restaurants in spotlight on popular HGTV show

Punta Gorda Airport (PGD)

• Allegiant adds route to Savannah from PGD

Sanibel Island

• Sundial Resort proposes allowing day passes for Sanibel resorts
• Cypress Pharmacy to open Island Wellness Pharmacy on Sanibel
• Comcast completes $72M project to strengthen internet access on Sanibel
• Two SanCap Chamber ribbon-cuttings surpass 100 milestone

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)

• RSW passenger traffic up 8% in June

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Fort Myers Airport earns award

Congratulations to the team at Holiday Inn Express & Suites Fort Myers Airport for receiving the Exceptional Guest Experience Award for 2023 from the Hotel Equities Heart of Hospitality Conference. 

This award is considered the most prestigious honor among IHG Hotels & Resorts properties and colleagues. The annual Spirit of True Hospitality program acknowledges hotels across the Americas - including the U.S., Canada and Latin America - for exceptional performance among several key customer criteria, including cleanliness, customer service, etc.