Tourism sees increase of visitors in March

Following years of post-pandemic tourism normalization resulting in monthly declines of visitors compared year over year, Visit Sarasota County has reported an uptick in visits in March.

Research firm Downs & St. Germain reported 158,500 visitors in March, up 1.7% from 155,800 in the same month 2025. With spring break, March marks a critical month on VSC’s tourism calendar.

“Sarasota County saw an increase in visitation this March, a positive indicator for our local economy and the many businesses that depend on a healthy tourism cycle,” said VSC President and CEO Erin Duggan. “We’ll continue to share these insights to help our partners and community better understand market trends, make informed decisions and plan strategically for the future.”

Tourism brings economic stimulation to the county in the form of direct spending and in tourism development tax revenue, which at 6% applied to lodging provides funding for local government spending on recreation facilities, beach maintenance and renourishment, Major League Baseball spring training facilities, arts and cultural grants and more.

It is also the source of funding for VSC’s tourism marketing efforts.

While visitors increased, direct spending was slightly down by 0.1% at $234.3 million compared to March 2025.

Other March 2026 data points include:

• Lodging occupancy was 81.5% compared to 83.3% in 2025.
• Lodging average room rate was $402 compared to $386 in 2025.
• 365,800 room nights were sold compared to 373,000 in 2025.
• Hotel room rates increased 11.4% year-over-year and hotel occupancy increased 1.2%.
• Vacation rental room rates decreased 1.7% and occupancy decreased by 5.2%,

For fiscal year 2026:

• Visitation has decreased 4.4% resulting in a decrease in year-to-date direct spending of 3.4%.
• Top origin markets include New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit.
• Top regional origins are the Midwest (34.3%) and the Northeast (30.4%).
• More visitors are traveling from the West (up 26.6%) and the Southeast regions excluding Florida (up 19.5%).