Make plans now to attend the VCB's Annual Meeting on Nov. 12

Fall is one of the most exciting times of the year for our tourism community, and we have so much to look forward to together. 

Please mark your calendars for our 2025 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa. The morning begins with a breakfast buffet at 8:30 a.m., followed by the program from 9:15 to 11:30 a.m. 

We’re excited to welcome Fred Dixon, President and CEO of Brand USA, as keynote speaker. And, all three of our international contractors — representing Germany, the UK and Canada — will also be present and available for 10-minute one-on-one partner sessions.

The morning will also include the presentation of the Junonia Award. This award honors individuals who have positively impacted the local tourism community through their exceptional leadership, dedication and unique talents. 

College basketball tourneys return 
Thanksgiving week brings the 8th annual Skechers Fort Myers Tip-Off, Nov. 24-27, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW). The sold-out Michigan State vs. North Carolina matchup will be televised nationally on FOX Sports, while tickets remain for other games. Rounding out the tournament field are St. Bonaventure, East Carolina, Bowling Green, Bucknell, Buffalo and VMI.

The Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off, Nov. 28-29, also at FSW, features Butler, Dayton, Kansas, Georgia, Abilene Christian, Northwestern, Missouri and Bradley. Plus, Coconut Hoops will be at Alico Arena at FGCU Nov. 24–26 (men) and Nov. 28–30 (women). 

Island Hopper’s a wrap

Captiva Island

Cape Coral

Downtown Fort Myers

Fort Myers Beach

Finally, thank you to our incredible partners for making the Island Hopper Songwriter Fest such a success. Ten days of performances across Captiva, Cape Coral, downtown Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach wrapped up Sept. 28 and highlighted the best of our destination. Created as a way to help our partners during September, the month with the lowest occupancy, Island Hopper has grown to become a tradition for our community as well as visitors.

See more of Island Hopper on Facebook & Instagram and be sure to scroll down to the Communications Team report that includes a sampling of Island Hopper coverage.

Here’s to an inspiring season ahead!

84.5% of hotels in Lee County are open for business

Tourist Development Council welcomes 3 new members

Brian Kramer

Lori Fayhee

John Lai

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 

• Hotel performance: Hotel room supply and demand increased year-over-year by 10.6% and 4.1%, respectively, with revenue up 11.6% compared to July 2024. Source: STR
  
  
• Visitor behavior: Visitors averaged a 4.2-day length of stay in July 2025 with over 72.4% of them being repeat visitors. Overnight stays accounted for 83.7% of visits with 58.6% originating from more than 500 miles away. Source: Near
  
  
• Booking pace: Total rooms sold in August were up 4.2% year-over-year. September’s booking pace is currently down 15.2% compared to the same time last year. Source: Amadeus
  
  
• Visitor spending: Domestic Visa card spending reached $93.7 million, a 10.4% increase over last year in July 2025. International Visa card spending increased by 4.8%, totaling $6.9 million. Source: Visa Destination Insights
  

Kind Traveler provides guests a way to give back

The VCB is proud to be the first destination marketing organization in Florida to partner with Kind Traveler, a socially conscious booking platform that gives back to the community. This collaboration supports several of our local conservation partners. 

Confirmed participating hotels and their associated nonprofit partners include: 

• Sanibel Siesta Beach Resort and CROW
  
• Sea Gypsy Inn and Keep Lee County Beautiful
• 'Tween Waters Inn & Marina and CROW

Lodging partners are encouraged to join the launch of Kind Traveler’s Every Stay Gives Back program and showcase your property’s commitment to Lee County’s future.

As part of the program, your property will be featured on this landing page. 

Shalimar Beach Resort reopens and other tourism news

• Shalimar Beach Resort reopens 3 years after Hurricane Ian
  
  
• Cape Coral's beloved Dixie Roadhouse steps into a new chapter with fresh ownership
  
  
• The Whale returning to Fort Myers Beach, symbolizing resilience post-Ian
  
  
• Island entities considering idea of Rauschenberg land purchase
  
  
• Big weekend of Island Hopper music for Fort Myers Beach
  
  
• Island Hopper Fest boosts Fort Myers Beach morale after hurricane woes
  
  
• Fort Myers Beach celebrates resilience at Island Hopper Songwriter Fest

• The science and spirit of Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve
  
  
• Chuck Lager restaurant to open in south Fort Myers in October
  
  
• Sanibel Sea School campaign wins silver Flagler Award
  
  
• Sanibel's $80K Live, Work, Play campaign draws national eye
  
  
• Fort Myers Beach opens new town hall
  
  
• London Bay Development submits revised plans for Fort Myers Beach project
  
  
• Fort Myers Beach Pier coming back bigger and stronger after Hurricane Ian damage

Domestic sales activities

Rotating photos include:

• (Photos 1-2) Destination Southeast, Aug. 3-5: Erin Lester, VCB, attended this event with Tracy Ryan, Luminary Hotel & Co, and Kristin Marshall, DiamondHead Beach Resort. The destination-specific hosted-buyer event brought together 150 attendees for one-on-one pre-scheduled appointments and networking in Palm Beach Gardens. 
  Photo 1: Erin Lester, VCB, and Veronica Villar, Meeting Resources
  Photo 2: Tracy Ryan, Luminary Hotel & Co.; Kimberly Bean, KBT Creative Support Services; Erin Lester, VCB; and Nicole Rechner, Florida Association of Community Health Centers
  
  
• (Photo 3) Connect Corporate & Association, Aug. 25-27: Betsy Bush and Erin Lester, VCB, along with Cathy Lazarus, Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach, and Joe Lacertosa, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point & Spa, spent three days networking and hosting one-on-one business meetings with meeting planners to increase travel visibility for Lee County. The Miami convention welcomed 5,000 attendees.
  Photo 3: Betsy Bush, VCB; Cathy Lazarus, Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach; Joe Lacertosa, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point & Spa; and Erin Lester, VCB
  
  
• (Photos 4-6) HPN Global Partner Conference, Aug. 26-29: Lauren Hyps, VCB, and Sandra Keneven, The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village, met with HPN associates in Las Vegas. This conference allowed for both one-on-one and group settings to promote Lee County as a qualified meetings destination.
  Photo 4: Geoffrey Cooke, HPN, and Lauren Hyps, VCB
  Photo 5: Lauren Hyps, VCB, and Tim Arnold, HPN
  Photo 6: Sandra Keneven, The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village

October sales events

Communications team earned media results

Here's a sampling of the VCB's local coverage efforts for Island Hopper Songwriter Fest and Sizzle Dining.

October paid media placements

In FY25/26 Q1, we are focused on driving winter visitation to the destination through a mix of traditional video, display and native advertising, complemented by custom content, rich media and streaming audio.

Consumer

• Sojern – CTV, native, display
• Priceline – native, display
• TravelDesk/Samsung – ATV
• TravelDesk/Amazon – streaming audio, ATV
• TravelDesk/Pandora – streaming audio
• TravelDesk/Spotify – streaming audio
• TravelDesk – display, native, video

Meetings, weddings, travel trade:

• TravelDesk, meeting planners – display, native, video, rich media
• TravelDesk, travel advisors – display, native
• TravelDesk, weddings – display, native, rich media
• Sojern – display, video, native
• Expedia TAAP – custom content, display, native
• Corporate & incentive travel – print, email, display
• Northstar AGENTatHOME – native
• Northstar Meetings – display
• Northstar Travel Weekly – email
• VAX VacationAccess – custom content 

Visitor Services activities

Where in Southwest Florida have our Tourism Ambassadors been? They enjoyed their visit to the Shangri-La Springs in Bonita Springs. A big thank you to our destination industry partner for hosting our volunteers.

TDC-funded event at Alliance for the Arts, Oct. 18-Nov. 1