Sanibel Causeway

Navigating challenges, driving tourism growth

Tourism may be in for a bit of a bumpy ride in 2025. Last week the Conference Board – best known for producing key economic indicators, such as the Consumer Confidence Index and the Leading Economic Index – reported that consumer confidence fell 7.2 points in March, its lowest level in 12 years. 

Additionally, the strength of the dollar continues to make travel to the U.S. more expensive for international visitors. Escalating global trade tensions could further impact international travel to the U.S. The National Travel and Tourism Office reported non-U.S. citizen air passenger arrivals to the U.S. from foreign countries was down 4.8% in February 2025 compared to February 2024.

Anecdotally, multiple tour operators reported fewer inquiries for the U.S. during ITB in Berlin last month. Thankfully, none reported any cancellations. 

And while the Federal Reserve recently downgraded their GDP growth projections, they do still expect it to expand by a modest 1.7% in 2025.

With this in mind, the VCB is committed to a data-driven plan that is hyper-focused on targeting prospects who are ready to travel and are looking for the kind of vacation that our community is able to deliver.

We are also optimistic that as more coastal accommodations reopen, past visitors will be clamoring to return. Their word-of-mouth experiences, shared both verbally and via social media, coupled with our collective efforts, will help continue to drive our recovery.

Here is a sampling of the VCB's efforts in the upcoming months:

The Marketing Team recently launched the Just Feels Right brand campaign that includes strong emotional appeal and humor. The Just Feels Right campaign was designed around the idea that people want to find moments when they can let go of everyday stressors and prioritize their well-being, with the underlying premise being that when you reclaim your sense of being present, you can follow what feels right.

This month through July 4, the Just Feels Right video spots will be seen in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, New York, Indianapolis, Columbus, Detroit, Peoria, Philadelphia and St. Louis.

The Sales Team will conduct two Florida travel agency sales missions, one on the east coast and the other on the west coast. In conjunction with each of these sales missions, the team will host travel advisor client events to conduct destination education to primarily home-based travel advisors. 

Additionally, in partnership with Travel Weekly and Visit Florida, the team will participate in the Florida "Advisors as Ambassadors Experience." This initiative includes an in-destination experience for two travel advisor contest winners. Following their visit, the advisors will join our VCB leisure sales manager for a live webinar, sharing their experiences with a virtual audience of up to 800 domestic travel advisors. The program will also be supported by Travel Weekly through social media posts, digital display ads and email promotions. 

The Communications Team has several familiarization tours lined up with domestic travel writers representing Midwest Living, Good Housekeeping, AAA, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and more. These visits immerse the writers in the destination and they get to see the best of our attractions, culinary and outdoor experiences. The team will also participate in another Satellite Media Tour (SMT), much like the one we did for National Plan for Vacation Day on Jan. 28. This time the media tour will be celebrating National Seashell Day on June 20, also the first day of summer. The previous media tour's TV and radio interviews reached more than 99 million people with 1,600 airings. 

Despite industry challenges, our strategic efforts keep our destination top of mind for travelers. Thank you to our partners for your dedication and collaboration — together, we are driving recovery and growth.

82% of hotels in Lee County are open for business

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: 

• In-state markets made up three of the Top 3 arrival markets in January, with Tampa being the highest. Other markets in the Top 5 include Miami, Orlando, Chicago and New York. The Top 3 points of interest for domestic visitors were Cape Coral, Fort Myers and North Fort Myers. Source: Near
  
  
• In January 2025, domestic visitors traveling from a 500-plus-mile radius accounted for 60.1% of total visitation, reflecting a 2.7% increase compared to January 2024. Source: Near
  
  
• In January 2025, short-term lodging saw growth across key metrics: Adjusted Paid Occupancy increased by 3.4%, ADR by 4.3%, and RevPAR by 7.8% compared to January 2024. Source: KeyData
  
  
• Hotel room supply and demand in January 2025 increased by 6.6% and 1.4% YOY, respectively, with hotel revenue remaining flat compared to January 2024. Source: STR
  
  
• Destination website sessions increased by 10.8% for January 2025, compared to January 2024, with 71% of all sessions being from mobile and 21% from desktop. Source: Google Analytics

New VCB staff: Brandon Leslie, Visitor Services coordinator

The VCB welcomes Brandon Leslie as its newest Visitor Services Coordinator.

In this role, Leslie will use his customer service skills to assist visitors and the traveling public at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).

Previously, Leslie was with the Lee County Port Authority where he worked as a terminal operations agent since 2021. At RSW, he was responsible for airport terminal, concessions and concourse inspections, as well as working closely with airport customer service representatives.

Prior to RSW, he worked as a security representative at the 20th Judicial Circuit Court in downtown Fort Myers. He retired from the Navy as Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Fuels, having served five years onboard the USS Kearsarge and deploying twice in support of overseas missions and one humanitarian mission to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

In 2020, he earned an associate’s degree in healthcare business informatics from the College of Albemarle in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. To some extent, he is already part of the VCB family, having been an E Awards nominee and having earned his Guests First certification.

Leslie has lived in Fort Myers for five years and in his spare time enjoys traveling, cruises, local sports events and spending time with family and friends. 

You're invited: Join us in celebration of National Travel & Tourism Week

There's a lot going on for National Travel & Tourism Week (NTTW) in April and May and we want you to be part of the celebration. 

• April 15: Join the VCB at 9:30 a.m. at the Lee Board of County Commissioners Meeting for the proclamation reading to make May 4-10 National Travel & Tourism Week in Lee County. 
  
  
• May 4-10: Light Up Lee by shining blue lights on your building in support of NTTW. Better yet, take a photo of your shining lights and send them to Jackie Parker, VCB communications manager. 
  
  
• Click here or the image on the right to see last year's Resolution Day. 

NEW Sanibel Wild Mile virtual passport

The Sanibel Wild Mile is a stretch along Sanibel-Captiva Road and the island-wide bike path, home to four prominent conservation and education organizations:

• Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium
• Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW)
• J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge (Friends group)
• Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF)

Together, they aim to foster a deeper connection to the island’s ecosystems through hands-on experiences, exhibits and educational opportunities.

Virtual passport - it's free
The Sanibel Wild Mile Passport encourages visitors to explore each of the partner organizations while collecting points along the way. Participants unlock special incentives and exclusive experiences, making their journey both fun and educational. Designed to enhance engagement with Sanibel’s natural beauty, the passport inspires both residents and tourists to discover and support the island’s unique environment. 

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

Offshore Sailing School

Industry partners are invited to contact Ray Sarracino, VCB communications director, to be considered.

Be part of the Florida Green Lodging Program

The Florida Green Lodging Program recognizes lodging facilities that voluntarily commit to protecting Florida’s natural resources. This free program helps hotels and resorts save money and increase occupancy rates. 

State government agencies and groups also give preference to Green Lodging properties when booking hotels for conference and meetings. 

April paid media placements

In the later months of FY24/25 Q2, our primary focus is on driving summer visitation and supporting the groups/meetings business. Next month, we'll also be rolling out new media that includes podcasts, rich media and integrated campaigns. Below is a snapshot of our paid media placements launching in April.

Consumer:

• AFAR – Display - co-op, print + advertorial, enewsletter, social post
• Dotdash Meredith – display, social, brand lift study, production
• Pandora – audio, display
• Garden & Gun – print, social, email, display
• Florida Sportsman – print, email, social, display
• Tastemade – social, enewsletter, video
• Conde Nast – video, social, display
• The New York Times – native, social, podcast, display

Meetings, weddings, travel trade:

• Travel Desk (meetings) – display, native, video, rich media
• Travel Desk (weddings) – display, native, rich media

Sanibel Inn reopens with 95 rooms

Perfect day for a ribbon cutting on Feb. 21 to celebrate Sanibel Inn’s reopening with 95 rooms in its inventory. The VCB is excited to see this amazing progress on Sanibel Island. 

From left, Brian Ososky, VCB; Ben Dahlmann, president of Dalhmann Properties; Bill Wellman, vice president and area general manager of The Inns of Sanibel Beach & Golf Resorts; Pamela Johnson, Tamara Pigott, Lesley-Ann Thompson and Fran Belasco, all VCB.

Domestic sales activities

Rotating photos include:

• (Photos 1-2) Chicago Travel & Adventure Show, Feb. 1-2: Jennifer Walla, VCB, showcased the destination at our trade show booth that attracted over 17,600 total potential travelers from the greater Chicago area. As part of a Travel Advisor Passport Program, 240 travel advisors personally visited our booth to discuss the destination.
  
  
• (Photos 3-4) Florida Encounter, Feb. 3-5: Erin Lester and Natalie Duran, VCB, along with five hotel partners, met with qualified event planners at Florida’s premier hosted planner show. Over 150 meeting planners attended this show in Ocala.
  
  
• (Photo 5-6) Metro NYSAE Expo & Client Event, Feb. 27: Betsy Bush, VCB, met with event planners from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Pennsylvania at this expo and client event in New York City, which drew about 500 meeting professionals.

International sales activities

Rotating photos include:

• (Photos 1-3) Florida Huddle – Ocala, Feb. 3-6: Charm Evans and Natalie Duran, both VCB, attended this annual three-day Visit Florida event where they networked and engaged in educational sessions on the international trends and insights. They also participated in 42 one-on-one prescheduled appointments with domestic and international travel trade buyers and suppliers.
  
  
• (Photo 4) Travel Gossip Roadshow – Southampton, England Feb. 12: Lucy Bairstow, VCB UK, attended the agent event to engage and educate travel agents from the south coast of England. A total of 25 agents in six sessions received destination updates and details showcasing Fort Myers as a top holiday choice for their clients.
  
  
• (Photos 5) Discover Airlines and Expipoint Roadshow – Leipzig, Germany Feb. 13: Nadia Bourgault, VCB Germany, met with 58 travel agents and informed the agents about accommodation updates, like the reopening of the Sundial Beach Resort & Spa on Sanibel Island, beach renourishment projects, wildlife and nature recovery and tips on restaurants for families and things to do in downtown Fort Myers.  
  
  
• (Photo 6) Outdoor Adventure Show – Toronto, Feb. 21-23: Jeanette Faria, VCB Canada, participated in the three-day event in Toronto. This annual event attracted over 20,000 consumers interested in outdoor activities such as camping, cycling, kayaking, canoeing, diving and sailing. Faria highlighted the destination's nature parks, biking trails, glamping, Calusa Blueway trail as well as the many outdoor activities offered.

April sales events

Communications team activities

Rotating photos include:

• (Photo 1) Outdoor writers Glenn Sapir & Steve Waters, March 20-21: Sapir and Waters show off their catch with Capt. Brian Luttana of Go & Get It Charters during a visit to Pine Island Sound. Other partners included in their visit were The Green Flash Waterfront Restaurant and Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille.
  
  
• (Photo 2) French travel guide Petit Fute, March 14-16: Petit Fute's Bertille Taupin-Gosset and Damien Gosset and their son, Raphael, went to their first baseball game to see the Minnesota Twins at Lee Health Sports Complex / Hammond Stadium. Other partners included in their visit were Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown Fort Myers, Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille, Voodoo Brewing Co., Sip & Sizzle, McGregor Cafe and IMAG History & Science Center. 
  
  
• (Photo 3) Southwest Florida Ag Expo, Feb. 27-March 9: Once again, Miriam Dotson, VCB communications manager, was the spokesperson for the Southwest Florida Ag Expo at the Lee County Civic Center. Here is a link to many of the videos in which she promoted the event.
  
  
• (Photo 4) Minnesota Twins spring training TV & radio interviews: Rick Bauer, supervisor of Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, was one of our partners who had the opportunity to promote the destination on the air during spring training at Lee Health Sports Complex / Hammond Stadium. Other partners who participated include: Holly Shaffer, Edison and Ford Winter Estates; Dan Esperon, Crazy Dingo Brewing; Stephanie Stalbaum, Adventures in Paradise; and Greg Longenhagen & Bailee Gull, Florida Repertory Theatre.
  
  
• (Photo 5) Travel Itch Radio, March 27: Miriam Dotson, VCB communications manager, was a guest on Travel Itch Radio, a podcast hosted by Dan Schlossberg, a travel writer and baseball author. 

Communications earned media results

Visitor Services activities

It’s been a busy season at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). During spring training, volunteer Tourism Ambassadors attended Red Sox and Twins games and staffed visitor information booths at both ballparks.

Many passengers have made their way through RSW and, after some flight delays and cancellations, our volunteers spread smiles with Project Cookie.

April schedule of events focusing on the Art of the Calusa

April 9: Events Marketing Funding webinar

The Events Marketing Funding Program opens with a webinar at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 9. Lee County nonprofit agencies that host multiple-day events may be eligible to apply.  

This webinar is mandatory to apply. To register for the webinar CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE to learn more about this program. Questions? Contact Alison Giesen at agiesen@leegov.com.

May 14: Attractions Marketing funding webinar

The Attractions Marketing Funding Program opens with a webinar at 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 14. Lee County nonprofit attraction partners are welcome to apply for funding.

This webinar is mandatory to apply for funding. Click here to learn more about this program.

Questions? Contact Alison Giesen at agiesen@leegov.com