Sarasota scores record tourism numbers

Sarasota County may have posted record tourism numbers this year, but Visit Sarasota County officials see room for improvement.

At a Nov. 17 meeting of the county’s Tourist Development Council, consultants from the Tallahassee-based Downs & St. Germain Research firm broke down key stats for tourism in the region for fiscal year 2016, which ended Sept. 30. The report led off with an eye-popping number: $2.8 billion, which represents the total economic impact of tourism in the county for the year.

That was an all-time high for the county. So was the $20.1 million generated in Tourist Development Tax revenue, beating the  previous record set in 2015.

“It’s difficult to follow up a record year by doing even better, but you did,” said Philip Downs, co-owner of Downs & St. Germain research.

That comment points to a challenge for Visit Sarasota County staff. Where do you go from here?

One area of targeted growth is sports tourism. On Nov. 17, officials announced Sarasota would host the 2018 World Sailing Annual Conference, marking the first time the event will take place in the United States.

In addition to landing an event that brought in more than 400 participants from more than 100 countries this year, the conference represents a new partnership with the sailing governing body. Rob Wells, the director of sports for the Sarasota County Sports Commission, was excited to tap into an unexplored sports tourism draw.

Wells said diversifying the portfolio of events offered locally is important to ensure Sarasota remains successful as a sports tourism destination. The county can’t rely on some high-profile events, such as the World Rowing Championships, returning to the area on a regular basis — although the county remains a firm believer in Nathan Benderson Park.

“It’s going to be the premier rowing facility in the country,” Wells said. “I don’t think we’ll see a time when it’s not the place to go for rowing.”

Eventually, Sarasota may hit a ceiling for attracting new tourists to the area. Wells acknowledges the sheer number of events brought in makes it a challenge to identify room for growth.

Still, Visit Sarasota County isn’t giving up on its push to bring new visitors to the area.

“We’re kind of running out of options when it comes to finding new sports,” Wells said. “That doesn’t mean we’re running out of options when it comes to new events or new partnerships.”

What's the buzz?

At least one group wasn’t entirely happy to hear about the record-setting tourism numbers: our readers on Facebook. Here are a few comments you shared on our story:

“A traffic burden on roads that can no longer sustain resident population traffic OUT of season.” — Trevor Aabel

“This is horrible news. You need to immediately cease and desist with the No. 1 beach in America campaign and rebrand yourself ‘Red Tide Capital of the Southeast’ so we can get back to normal, relaxing Sarasota.” — Mike Fincham

“Tourism sucks.” — Timothy A. Kramar