Manatee Tourism Team Works European Market
By Lisa Neff
“Velkommen.”
“Willkommen.”
“Welcome.”
With spring’s high season of domestic travel to Manatee County ending, tourism officials expect to see an influx of visitors from the global market, especially from Europe.
On April 21, the county tourist development council, an advisory board to county commissioners, received an update on global affairs as it relates to local tourism.
Kelly Clark, global affairs director for the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Olivia Sawdy, global marketing manager for the BACVB, delivered the report on international visitors, answering: Who are they? Where do they come from? How do they get here? Why are they important to the tourism market?
“They bring seasonal balance,” said Clark. “So typically, they visit during our shoulder season, giving businesses that little extra push between September and January.”
The No. 1 “feeder market” to the county is the United Kingdom.
At No. 2 is the German market, including the German-speaking countries of Austria and Switzerland, according to Clark.
And now, she said, “a new market for us is the Netherlands. And that actually opens up Scandinavia to us.”
Many international visitors to the Bradenton area are arriving at Tampa International Airport, which offers daily year-round nonstop service from the UK on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, as well as Discover flying year-round nonstop flights from Frankfurt.
Travelers also can fly nonstop on Edelweiss Airfrom Zurich to Tampa and last year a nonstop flight to Tampa began from Amsterdam. “That opens up the Scandinavian market for us because the Scandinavians typically fly through Amsterdam to get to the United States” Clark said.
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport also brings in international travelers.
“They host all of the major air carriers as you know,” Clark said. “So there’s plenty of layover options, especially with the Virgin-Delta connection. But one that you might not know is JetBlue. JetBlue flies nonstop from London to both Boston and New York, and we have both of those flying into SRQ with JetBlue. So that just opens up some more avenues for us to get the internationals here.”
European tourists tend to travel differently than domestic or North American travelers, as they arrange travel through an agent.
“So over 80% of international travelers are using a travel agency to book what they call their holiday,” Clark said. “Why are they doing that? It’s a one-stop shop for them. So, they can get their flights, their hotels and their rental car all under one neat package. They’ve built trust with their local travel agencies. … And most importantly they insure their travel.”
So, the BACVB is working with agents, tour operators and businesses.
“If you want to work with the international market you have to be working with tour operators,” Clark said.
Last November, just a month after Hurricane Milton hit, the BACVB was promoting the area at the World Travel Market in London, meeting one-on-one with agents and the media, conveying the message that the region was open for business and inviting content creators to visit.
The BACVB also has been promoting the area on the streets of London, with brand-awareness advertising wraps on a fleet of taxi cabs.
The BACVB also worked with America Unlimited to customize itineraries and packages for people escaping “gray rainy Germany” to visit sunny Bradenton and Tampa.
The Germany campaign resulted in 20 million online impressions and 500 bookings.
Several TDC members applauded the presentation.
“I just want to say thank you,” said TDC member Tony DeRusso, managing director of the Palmetto Marriott Resort and Spa. “The work that you guys do for our market is incredibly important. And I think that a lot of people don’t see what’s going on behind the scenes and what you do for the overall region. … Spectacular.”
BACVB executive director Elliott Falcione, who describes tourism marketing as art meets science, added, “I have artists that I’m blessed to work with and that’s what it comes down to — how do we separate ourselves from the competition.”
The next TDC meeting will be June 16 at the Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria.
