Southwest Florida Ag Expo midway

Momentum builds during peak season with signature events and global exposure

As we move through peak season, we continue to see strong momentum driven by signature events and high-profile partnerships that showcase our destination on both a local and global stage.

Southwest Florida Ag Expo returns Feb. 26-March 8
“Roots ’n’ Rides: A Celebration of Tradition” sets the tone for this year’s Southwest Florida Ag Expo, returning Feb. 26 through March 8 at Mike Greenwell Regional Park (formerly the Lee County Civic Center Complex). The 11-day event brings together agriculture, entertainment and community with themed promotions throughout the run, including Community Night, Senior Day, Sensory-Friendly Night, Family Fiesta Day and, new this year, Hometown Heroes. 

Opening day features a special $1 admission and $1 ride ticket promotion, available exclusively at the gate. Advance general admission tickets and the popular $30 MEGAPASS are available at www.swflagexpo.com. The MEGAPASS includes gate admission and an unlimited mechanical ride wristband for one day of your choice, with sales ending when the Ag Expo opens on Feb. 26.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit partnership delivers global exposure
The VCB’s partnership with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has already generated extraordinary visibility for the destination. Social media impressions from the February digital issue have surpassed 1.1 billion views, delivering global reach and powerful brand awareness.

The digital issue showcased South Seas as a stunning backdrop and featured high-profile WAGs (wives and girlfriends) of NFL players, including Brittany Mahomes, Christen Goff, Claire Kittle, Haley Cavinder, Normani and Ronika Love. The VCB's partnership with such a globally recognized brand provides a compelling platform to spotlight our destination through the stories of accomplished and dynamic women. We look forward to additional destination exposure in the upcoming May print issue.

Thank you to our tourism community
As we move through one of the busiest times of year, I want to extend sincere thanks to our hospitality partners, attractions, event organizers and community stakeholders for the work you do every day to welcome visitors and promote Lee County. Your collaboration, creativity and commitment are what make our destination shine. Together, we continue to drive meaningful economic impact while showcasing the authentic experiences that set our community apart.

Lee County VCB promotes Natalie Duran to Director of Sales

The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) is pleased to announce Natalie Duran as its new Director of Sales.

Duran brings more than 10 years of sales experience, most recently serving as portfolio resource director of sales with Aimbridge Hospitality. She previously served as sales coordinator for the VCB, beginning in 2024. She brings a strong track record of building partnerships that drive group business and destination awareness.

In her new role, she will lead the VCB’s Sales team, expanding meetings and group opportunities, strengthening relationships with planners and advancing revenue-generating initiatives that support sustained tourism growth for Lee County.

Duran’s collaborative leadership style, industry expertise and passion for creating authentic visitor experiences make her a valuable partner to our tourism community.

To connect with Duran, reach out to her at nduran@leegov.com.

86.4% of hotels in Lee County are open for business

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 Vacation Rentals and Keep Lee County Beautiful
• 'Tween Waters Inn & Marina and CROW

Lodging partners are encouraged to join Kind Traveler’s Every Stay Gives Back program and showcase your property’s commitment to Lee County’s future. Contact the VCB's Nancy MacPhee, destination development manager, at nmacphee@leegov.com

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

• RSW undergoes major expansion with new concourse and temporary TSA checkpoint
• Island group restores Sanibel bike path gazebos
• Big Nick's Barbecue opens second SWFL location in Cape Coral
• Sun Country launches Fort Myers-Appleton service
• Bare Roots Coffee House opens in former Bennett's space
• Shell Factory buyer to evaluate site, plan next steps
• Cooper Hotels buys two Hilton hotels in Bonita Springs
• Uncle Rico's pizza shop expanding in Fort Myers

Industry partners: Score big this summer with a spot on the World Cup deals page

Want to be part of the VCB's World Cup deals page? Industry partners are invited to submit special offers by contacting the VCB's Vanessa Gomez, marketing coordinator, at vgomez@leevcb.com

Threshold 360 offers free filming of your business

The VCB has partnered with Threshold 360 to offer free filming of your tourism business for a virtual tour.

Limited spaces available so don't miss out on this amazing opportunity. Contact the VCB's Alison Giesen, destination development coordinator, at agiesen@leegov.com

International sales activities

Rotating photos include:

• (Photos 1-2) Discover America Canada, Toronto, Dec. 4: Jeanette Faria, VCB Canada, attended the event held in memory of the late Casey Canevari, Brand USA’s director of global trade development in Canada.

• (Photos 3-4) Air Canada Appreciation Event, Toronto, Dec. 11: Jeanette Faria, VCB Canada, attended the annual event that included over 140 industry partners and media.

• (Photos 5-7) UK Travel Trade Fam Trip, Lee County, FL., Dec. 7-11: Natalie Swinburne, VCB UK, hosted a group of four travel agents from England, Ireland and Scotland. The group stayed on Fort Myers Beach at Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina and Margaritaville Beach Resort with a selection of hotel inspections and experiences including Miromar Outlets, Edison and Ford Winter Estates and shelling on Sanibel.

Domestic sales activities

Rotating photos include:

• (Panel 1) SITE Chicago Holly Trolley Client Event & PCMA Holiday Mixer, Dec. 2: 
  Lauren Hyps, VCB, hosted incentive meeting planners.
  
  
• (Panel 2) Association Forum Holiday Showcase, Dec 3-4: Lauren Hyps, VCB, met with HelmsBriscoe’s Jan Tolle MacDonald and meeting planners in Chicago.
  
  
• (Panel 3) CCRA PowerSolutions, Dec. 3-5: Jennifer Walla, VCB, connected with independent travel advisor Holly Rafferty from KHM Host Agency in Philadelphia.
  
  
• (Panel 4) Capital CVB Reps Client Event, Dec. 16: Betsy Bush, VCB, with Chastain Smith, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and Annette Suriana, AMC Meeting Solutions in Washington, D.C.

February sales events

Communications team activities

Rotating photos include: 

• (Photo 1) Glen Turk, Midwest Golfing Magazine, Jan. 18-21: From left, Brian Weis, GolfTrips.com; Glen Turk, Midwest Golfing Magazine; and Brian Stewart, director of golf at The Club at Renaissance, have a visit before Weis and Turk play the course. Turk & Weis experienced five golf courses that will be profiled in the magazine's Golf Show Edition which will be distributed at the Chicago Golf Show, Michigan Golf Show and shows in Kansas City and St. Louis. There will also be a paid media component to accompany the earned media.  
  
  
• (Photo 2) TravMedia's International Media Marketplace (IMM) North America 2026, New York City, Jan. 22: Jackie Parker, VCB, met with 20 travel writers and sent Canada's own Kevin Wagar home with a copy of the brand-new Sanibel board game. 
  
  
• (Photo 3) Sport Illustrated Swimsuit issue photo shoot, Jan. 25-Feb. 1: Miriam Dotson, VCB, with videographer Shanra Kehl on location in Pine Island Sound to showcase the destination in the digital and upcoming print issues.  

Communications team earned media results

February paid media placements

We have several February launches targeting consumer, meeting planner, travel advisor, weddings and Canadian audiences including custom content, print, native, social integrations and native placements designed to drive spring and summer travel.

Below is a snapshot of our upcoming paid media placements launching in February:

Consumer

• Midwest Golf Magazine – print & display

Meetings, weddings, travel trade:

• Northstar Meetings Group – custom content
• Prevue Meetings & Incentives – video
• Northstar Travel Weekly – custom content
• Honeyfund – dedicated emails, native, social, display & custom content
• Bridal Guide – enewsletter

International – Canada

• AirMiles – enewsletter, dedicated email, native & display

Visitor Services activities

Where in Southwest Florida have our Tourism Ambassadors been?

Our volunteers learned so much and had a wonderful time during their visits to:

• Cabbage Key with Captiva Cruises
• South Seas
• Behind-the-scenes tour of Southwest Florida International Airport

We are truly thankful to our industry partners and the Lee County Port Authority for hosting our volunteers.