From the Executive Director

Looking forward to seeing you at Island Hopper Songwriter Fest, Sept. 18-27

Island Hopper brings home
6 SunSational Awards

Congratulations to the Island Hopper Songwriter Fest team! The festival earned six SunSational Awards at the Florida Festivals and Events Annual Conference at the Luminary Hotel in Fort Myers last month.

Island Hopper took first place for its street banner and T-shirt; second place for its mobile app and social media campaign; and third place for its promotional video and website.

Way to shine, Island Hopper!

Make plans to join us Nov. 10 at the VCB's Annual Meeting

Join us Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 11:30 a.m. at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center for our Annual Meeting. We’ll kick things off with lunch, dive into our Sales & Marketing Plan, explore AI in tourism, network with industry partners and more.

Fall travel trends: Budget getaways

Hertz reported nearly one-third (31%) of travelers said they're seeking budget-friendly getaways, while an identical share (31%) are willing to spend more ...

Travel agency air ticket sales rise

Domestic travel agency air ticket sales rose 18% year-over-year in July, reaching $9.6 billion. The average price was $619, up 17% from a year ago ...

Hotels under construction

Source: Costar & Lee County VCB | 8/4/26

RSW passenger count declines in July

During July, 680,168 passengers traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). This was a decrease of 5.7 percent compared to July 2025. Year-to-date, passenger traffic is down 0.04 percent.

Airline traffic leaders include:

1. Delta - 166,696 passengers
2. American - 127,968
3. Southwest - 127,170
4. United - 113,151
5. Breeze - 51,087
   

Brian Kramer named to VISIT FLORIDA
Board of Directors

Congratulations to Brian Kramer, general manager of Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa and a member of the Lee County Tourist Development Council, on being named to the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Kramer brings more than 37 years of hospitality experience with Hyatt Hotels Corporation. He has held leadership positions at nine Hyatt properties along the East Coast, leading resort, urban, conference and convention hotels.

Since 2014, he has served as general manager of Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa, one of Southwest Florida’s premier resort destinations.

Tourist Development Council welcomes Darla Bonk and Sandra Stilwell Youngquist to board

Darla Bonk
Fort Myers City Council

Sandra Stilwell Youngquist
CEO & owner, Stilwell Enterprises & Restaurant Group

New VCB staff: Matthew Cummings, communications director

The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) welcomes Matthew Cummings as its new communications director.

Matthew joins the VCB from Erie Insurance, a Fortune 500 company in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he led the public relations team. His communications career spans the corporate sector, local government, education and radio.

He earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Edinboro University and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from West Virginia University. Since 2006, he has also taught in WVU’s Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program.

He said he was drawn to the VCB because of its impact beyond destination marketing, including supporting local businesses and the arts, protecting natural resources, creating jobs and investing in the community’s beaches and parks.

Matthew now lives in Cape Coral, and his wife, Alyson, plans to join him next year. Their son, Conor, is pursuing his graduate degree at St. Bonaventure University.

Building a pipeline for future meetings

The VCB and seven Lee County hotel partners completed 26 appointments with association executives and meeting professionals during the Florida Society of Association Executives (FSAE) Annual Conference held in Orlando. These conversations introduced planners to future group business opportunities throughout Fort Myers - Islands, Beaches and Neighborhoods and created new prospects. The work continues after the conference. Staff and local hotel partners are following up with contacts to develop qualified leads that can generate bookings and visitor spend in our community.

September paid media placements

Our Q4 of FY25/26 media efforts are primarily focused on consumer, international and Island Hopper Songwriter Fest audiences.

Key placements include: 

Consumer

• Tripadvisor – Custom video package: 1.2 million impressions
• Tripadvisor – Custom hub package: 928,125 impressions
• iHeart (Island Hopper) – Streaming audio: 1.5 million impressions
• TravelDesk/Pandora – Streaming audio: 1.1 million impressions
• Sojern – National CTV: 1.2 million impressions
• Sojern – Fall native campaign: 1.1 million impressions
• Clear Channel (Island Hopper) – Out-of-home: 1.6 million impressions

International

• Sojern – Fall Canada display package: 1.1 million impressions