EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Airbnb Launches Occupancy Tax Collection Program

Airbnb is launching an occupancy tax collection and remittance program, effec-tive Dec. 1. This program is designed to make collecting and remitting taxes easier for Airbnb hosts.

The type of tax and the amounts collected will vary by county. Specific information is available at Airbnb.com in the Help Center. Click on Taxes, and then Local Tax to view the article “In what areas is Occupancy Tax Col-lection and Remittance by Airbnb available?”

Airbnb’s Promiseby Robert Skrob, CPA

“The Airbnb Community Com-pact” is Airbnb’s public declaration of its commitment to “treat every city personally and help ensure our com-munity pays its fair share of hotel and tourist taxes.”

This is a great step forward and reminds me of the connection that owner-operated hotels have with their communities. In an industry dominat-ed by investor groups running proper-ties by the numbers, it is refreshing to see a company make a public state-ment in support of the communities that contribute to its success.

There’s an interesting statistic in the report: “35 percent of the people who travel on Airbnb say they would not have traveled or stayed as long but for Airbnb.” If this is true, Airbnb can become a significant demand genera-tor for your community.

The compact is posted here: bit.ly/AirbnbPolicy. At FADMO, we’ll continue to work with local tax collectors, the Florida Department of Revenue and Airbnb to ensure that Airbnb and its hosts live up to the commitments outlined within the Airbnb compact.

In an announcement about the program sent to Airbnb hosts in Pinellas and St. Johns counties, the company reminded hosts that they are responsible for assess-ing all tax obligations that are not col-lected by Airbnb.

With this new tax collection program, Airbnb is demonstrating its commitment to being a strong partner for tourism in Florida. It is a good step in the right direction.

Rep. Gaetz Proposes Changes to Tourist Development Taxby Mat Forrest, FADMO Government Affairs

The House Finance and Tax Committee met on Nov. 12 and as part of its agenda dis-cussed a proposal from the chairman, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Shalimar), to make revisions to the Tourist Development Tax statutes.

The discussion lasted about 45 minutes, during which Rep. Gaetz explained his opinion, summarized here:• Thereshouldbeadedicatedfunding

source for VISIT FLORIDA.• Manycountiescurrentlyoperatein

some gray areas of the law in regard to what they fund with TDTs.

• Moreflexibilitycouldbegiventothecounties.

• Theemphasisforthefundsshouldremain on marketing, and VISIT FLORIDA is an excellent organization for doing this.

Chairman Gaetz indicated that the Nov. 12 meeting was just the start of the discus-sion, and no votes were taken. He indicated that he is open to working on the proposal with any member of the Finance and Tax Committee and that this committee would

likely also work with other House commit-tees on the issue. A proposal could eventu-ally come forward as a proposed committee bill or as part of an omnibus tax bill.

At this point I think it is important to state that while I know we disagree with many of the proposed changes (see next page), the entire discussion was on the val-ue and importance of tourism to Florida. It was stated many times by the members and by Chairman Gaetz that tourism, and the tourism industry, is thriving in Florida. We can disagree with specific changes, but the entire discussion was on how to continue to protect and grow the tourism industry.

Many members of the committee ex-pressed support or opposition to some of the suggested changes, but it was clear from my perspective that, of those who spoke, no one completely support-ed the entire draft. Comments from the public were not taken at the meeting. At the end of the meeting, one commit-tee member did ask for impromptu

TDT PROPOSAL continues on pg. 2

Great DMO Training Online

Get Your DMO Training at www.FADMO.org/SummitOnline!

How to Connect With LGBT Travelers: Trends and Insights From Two Decades of LGBT Research and

CommunicationsTom Roth, Community Marketing & Insights

20 Ways to Ruin a Perfectly Good DMO WebsiteDavid Reichbach, Destination Analysts Inc.

Go the Extra Mile: Increasing Engagement on Destination Websites

Tiffany Azzara and Neal Alfano, Miles

Measuring Success With More Than Clicks and CTRJosh Sherwood, Interfuse

Effective Branding Techniques and Intellectual Property Protection in the Digital Era

Doug Cherry, Attorney at LawErin Duggan, Visit Sarasota County

Creating Something Remark[et]able – How to Create Great Content for Marketing

Michael Durwin, Fuseideas

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TDT Proposal Summary• Providesthatthesixtourism

industry members of a county TDC be appointed by the Florida Restaurant Lodging Association; the other two elected county municipal officials would still be appointed by the county

• Requiresallcountiescollectinga TDT to remit 20 percent of revenues, from the first 3 cents, monthly to the Department of Economic Opportunity for deposit into a dedicated fund for VISIT FLORIDA, eliminating legislative appropriation for VISIT FLORIDA

• Requiresthatnolessthan40 percent of county TDT revenues, from the first 3 cents, be spent on tourism promotion

• Providesanoptionforcounties to spend up to 10 percent of TDT revenues to fund law enforcement with a provision that for every dollar allocated to law enforcement, 50 cents must also be contributed to the VISIT FLORIDA dedicated fund

• Requiresawrittenproposalbe submitted to the governing board of the county for additional authorized expenditures outlined in subparagraph (a) 4 of the statute,andrequiresareturnoninvestment analysis

• Requiresthatrevenueforbondsthat are outstanding as of Jan. 12, 2016, shall be paid before any other uses of tax revenues

• Allowsforarefundofsalestax on admission to valid sales tax exempt charity events at attractions

input from a staff member of the Flor-ida Association of Counties (FAC). The FAC’s representative stated that the association was not prepared to offer di-rect input but does have concerns about some aspects of the proposal, including how it would impact existing or future co-op programs that counties have with VISIT FLORIDA.

Timeline Going ForwardThere is one more committee week be-

fore Session begins on Jan. 12. It is entirely possible, though, that discussions, work, revisions, etc., will occur outside of the committee meetings and that a new draft will emerge during the Legislative Session. In short, nothing is “on fire.” There is a discussion taking place, and it will continue to develop over the next three months.

Don’t Miss Florida Tourism Day!Florida Tourism Day at the Capitol will be

held on Jan. 20, 2016. This is your opportu-nity to speak with legislators about opportuni-ties to increase employment within Florida through destination marketing. The Partner-ship for Florida’s Tourism—FADMO, Florida Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, Florida Attractions Association, Florida Res-taurant & Lodging Association, Film Florida and VISIT FLORIDA—is hosting this event, which will feature visits by legislators to the meeting as well as participants’ visits to legis-lative offices at the Capitol.

If you are coming in the night before, schedule your travel to arrive in time for a welcome reception and dinner at one of Tal-lahassee’s local favorites, Andrews 228. We will gather at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 19. Tourism Day begins early the next morning with an 8 a.m. DMO issues briefing at Visit Tallahas-seeheadquarters,followedbyTourismDayevents at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, legislative appointments at the Capitol and culminating with the Tourism Day Street Party on Adams Street and a V.I.P. Reception at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Asso-ciation offices. Advanced registration is $49, due by Jan. 13. The on-site fee will be $65.

TDT PROPOSAL continued from page 1...

Now you can get some of the best training and the foremost thinking from the world of destination marketing right at your desk. We video recorded select sessions from the recent Destination Marketing Summit and posted them at www.FADMO.org/SummitOnline. You can revisit the sessions you enjoyed and share them with other members of your team. Here is a quick peek at what’s available:

Register for Tourism Day by visiting TourismWorksForFlorida.org/

florida-tourismday

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Introducing ... Orlando North, Seminole County TourismTo help solidify its identity on the global tourism stage, Semi-

nole County CVB has rebranded itself Orlando North, Seminole County Tourism.

The destination has long provided an outdoorsy alternative to Or-lando’s theme parks, but focus-group research conducted in June 2014 showed that the name “Seminole County” fell short in provid-ing potential visitors with an accurate understanding of its location.

The new brand is being used exclusively for tourism marketing. It will be integrated across all platforms—website, social media, advertisements and collateral. To emphasize the destination’s abun-dance of natural splendor, the CVB will continue to position the destination as “Orlando’s Natural Oasis.”

Orlando North, Seminole County Tourism, along with its agency of record, St. Petersburg-based Paradise Advertising, coined the tagline “Do North” to emphasize Seminole County’s active-lifestyle offerings

Happy Birthday to Happy Birthday to Nerissa OkiyeDecember 7

Steve HayesDecember 13

Richard Goldman

December 14

Nicki Grossman

December 20

Carol McQueenDecember 22

Gil LangleyJanuary 22

Visit Tampa Bay Celebrates 30 YearsVisit Tampa Bay celebrated 30 years as Hillsborough County’s

DMO during a party hosted by the Tampa Museum of Art on Oct. 28. The festivities included five of the Tampa Bay area’s most established restaurants, which provided tastes of both their original offerings and more recent creations.

The evening coincided with Visit Tampa Bay’s annual meeting, during which new directors and advisory board members were elected. Hillsborough County Commission Chair Sandra Murman presented Visit Tampa Bay President & CEO Santiago Corrada with an official commendation congratulating Visit Tampa Bay for its decades of service to the county. Visit Tampa Bay reported its second record year in a row for TDT taxes in FY2015, which ended Sept. 30.

“This is an exciting time for tourism in Hillsborough County,” Corrada told the crowd. “The past year was one for the record books. I can’t wait to see the new heights we reach and the new records we set in 2016.”

Seen on the giant monitor at Visit Tampa Bay’s 30th anniversary party, President & CEO Santiago Corrada receives a congratulatory commendation from Hillsborough County Commission Chair Sandy Murman.

such as hiking and ziplining. Further slogans include “Play North” for sports marketing and “Meet North” for meetings and groups.

The county’s TDC recommended the new brand to the Board of County Commissioners, which approved it in August.

“This new brand initiative provides us the opportunity for greater awareness and recognition outside of Central Florida,” says Tricia Setzer, chief administrator, Seminole County Office of Economic Development, Community Relations and Tourism. “We feel strongly that it will enable us to build upon the robust tourist traffic the destination is currently enjoying.”

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Job Board

Tourism and Cultural Events DirectorSt. Johns County

St. Johns County seeks a tourism and cultural events director to be responsible for directing the county’s tourism and cultural events functions. Application must be submit-ted through the county’s online application service. For the position description or to apply, visit SJCFL.us.

• Florida’s Adventure Coast, Brooksville-Weeki Wachee• Visit Citrus, Citrus County VCB• Visit Pasco County• Visit St. Pete/Clearwater• Visit Tampa Bay

LIVE from...Central West Florida!

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The transformation from being known as the Hernando County Tourism Bureau to Florida’s Adventure Coast was, in itself, a great adventure. Aware of the need to rebrand the des-tination, Tammy Heon, tourism development manager, knew a key to success would be buy-in from stakeholders. To gain this support, she obtained and shared findings from extensive market research conducted for this purpose.

“We clearly needed a new direction to help Hernando Coun-tytourismstandout,”saysHeon.“Butitwasequallyclear

that only a brand created by the community would best represent our destination.”

The DMO was delighted to find that Florida’s Adventure Coast, Brooksville-Weeki Wachee, with its theme line Nature’s Place to Play, solidly resonated with all audiences, and so the adventure continued with logo design and new brand implementation. A pillar among the new image products is the website Floridas AdventureCoast.com, which launched in September. Together with the website are a new social media suite, a powerful events calendar, a blog and newsletters.

Heon, now manager, tourism development, has increased full-time staff from two to four to support added content deliv-ery and overall momentum. Joining Carole Knudson and Ruby Turner, Kim Poppke holds the marketing specialist post and Shannon Werner is visitor center assistant. With more hands on deck, the destination’s transformation continues. And like with many adventures, much of the thrill is in the journey.

Florida’s Adventure CoastBrooksville-Weeki Wachee

Florida’s Adventure Coast team includes Tammy Heon, manager, tour-ism development; Kim Poppke, marketing specialist; Shannon Werner, visitor center assistant, Carole Knudson, administrative assistant II; and Ruby Turner, tourism promotions specialist.

Florida’s Adventure Coast rebranding includes this new logo.

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LIVE from...

Visit Citrus continued phenomenal growth in 2014-2015, posting 15 percent growth in TDT revenue. Visit Citrus Di-rector Adam Thomas reports collections at $858,243. That’s up from $745,452 the previous fiscal year. Occupancy is up 7.5 percent, with a 6.5 percent increase in ADR and 14 percent growth in REVPAR.

“Over the past two years we have seen substantial growth in our destina-tion from a domestic perspective,” says

Salvador Dalí and Walt Disney in Spain, 1957Photo: Gift of Diane Disney Miller, collection Walt Disney Family Foundation © Disney

Construction of the Opal Sands Resort on Clearwater Beach is due to be completed in February 2016.Photo: Courtesy of Ocean Properties Ltd.

Visit St. Pete/Clearwater

Visit CitrusCitrus County VCB

The new 2015 logo for the Citrus County VCBThe new Visit Citrus Visitors Center on U.S. 19 in Crystal River

Thomas, “but the biggest growth is from international markets, where we’ve seen 22 percent growth.”

In 2014, Visit Citrus made its first trip to World Travel Market and ITB Berlin in tandem with VISIT FLORIDA. Visit Citrus has already returned to London and will be back in Berlin in March.

On the home front, Visit Citrus moved into a new Visitors Center in Crystal River in July. Manatee tours to the ever-popular Three Sisters Springs boardwalk will be based out of the center from Nov. 15 to Apr. 1.

“We’re proud of how far we’ve come and even more excited about where we’re going,” says Thomas.

St. Pete/Clearwater’s renewed tourism boom is having far-reaching impacts throughout the destination. Early next year, a plush Gulf-front resort will open on Clearwater Beach, and The Dali Museum in downtown St. Petersburg unveilsyetanotheruniqueexhibit.

In January, the Dali Museum debuts Disney and Dali: Architects of the Imagination, a multimedia exhibition that chronicles the unlikely alliance and friendship between two of the 20th century’s most visionary artists: American entertainment pioneer Walt

Disney and the Spanish surrealist Sal-vador Dali. The two titans collaborated in the 1940s on an animated short film called Destino. It was not completed in their lifetimes but was finished and premiered in 2003. Disney and Dali showcases original paintings, story sketches, video, letters, photographs, objects and more.

Twenty-five miles north, the Opal Sands Resort is scheduled to open on Clearwater Beach in March. The hotel marks the first beachfront hotel to open there in six years. With 230 rooms and

suites—each with a balcony and stun-ning Gulf view—contemporary design and abundant amenities, Opal Sands resets the standard for luxury accom-modations on the Gulf beaches. Owned by Ocean Properties Ltd., the resort has already begun taking reservations.

“The Opal Sands and Disney and Dali show ongoing vitality at our beaches as well as vital growth in our cultural offer-ings,” says David Downing, executive director of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater. “Further, they add to our growing repu-tation as a top international destination.”

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LIVE from...

On the heels of Hillsborough County’s strongest tourism year ever, Visit Tampa Bay has launched its most ambitious marketing campaign ever.

The $1.7 million “Florida’s Most” campaign claims Tampa Bay’s bragging rights as the place that combines all the greatest Florida experiences in a single destination.

“Visitors come to the state looking for lots of different things—thrill rides, outdoor recreation, exciting history, creative cuisine, Cuban culture and craft beer. They find them all here in Tampa Bay,” says Visit Tampa Bay President &CEOSantiagoCorrada.“Ontopofthat,ouruniquesetofattractions—including the Tampa Riverwalk and Gasparilla Season—guarantees that visitors go home with memories they can’t make anywhere else.”

The “Florida’s Most” campaign mixes digital advertising, cable TV, billboards, print ads and radio. It targets travelers in the Midwest, the Northeast and Texas, along with Canada, England and Germany.

“Florida’s Most” will run through June, shifting Visit Tampa Bay away from seasonal marketing to a year-round message.

“We no longer have an off-season, a fact that truly plays to our strengths as a hip, urban destination,” says Patrick Harri-son, vice president of marketing and communications. “Wheth-er people are coming for roller coasters, great food or craft beer, Tampa Bay is ready for them year-round.”

Visit Tampa Bay

From shopping to beaches, Pasco County has it all. With options like his-toricdowntownantiqueshops,upscaleboutiquesandmalls,thereisastoreforev-eryone. The most exciting of all, perhaps, is the newly opened Tampa Premium Outlets. With more than 110 stores, VIP lounges, exceptional restaurants and the option to bring your four-legged friends,

SunWest Park offers kayaking and other wa-ter activities at its spring-fed freshwater lake.

TreeHoppers Aerial Adventure Park offers outdoor excitement for the adventurous types.

Falcon’s Fury, Busch Garden Tampa’s drop tower attraction, is getting a reputation for exerting “Florida’s Most Peer Pressure.”

A sparkling pool in Tampa offers kids one of “Florida’s Most Running Starts” to fun.

Visit Pasco Countywhat’s not to love? Plus, the area also boasts great options for outdoor activities.

“For those who want more of an outdoor adventure, we have some great new options in Pasco County,” says Ed Caum, tourism manager.

At TreeHoppers Aerial Adventure Park, guests swing from a series of platforms interwoven throughout a beautiful old Florida forest, connected by cable, wood, rope and zip lines to form different ele-ments. There are eight different courses andmorethan100uniqueelements,creating a series of adventures for all.

For beachgoers, SunWest Park just off the Gulf of Mexico offers a gorgeous spring-fed freshwater lake where a white sandy beach lines the shores. This isn’t your typical beach, however.

“This is a place where you not only can relax, but you can enjoy outdoor water activities as well,” says Caum.

The park offers kayaking, paddle boarding, beach volleyball, sand soccer, yoga,anaquaparkandevenhasfutureplans for a cable wakeboard park.

Quick Trips!

Panama City Beach’s famous New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop

Visit PCB Ends 2015 on High Note

Visit Panama City Beach’s strong offering of September events and marketing initiatives paid off with an incredible 26.6 percent increase in September TDT collections over the previous year. Moving into the holiday season, Visit Panama City Beach is promoting more events to help boost visitation during the traditionally slower fall and winter seasons. This includes a “Beach Home for the Holidays” initiative that is helping start a new family tradition of Panama City Beach vacations during the holiday season. VisitPanamaCityBeach.com

JetBlue Airways Launches New Route to Daytona Beach

JetBlue Airways has just an-nounced the launch of a new route to Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) beginning Jan. 7, 2016. The airline will offer daily, nonstop service from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), providing the Daytona Beach area with direct flights to New York City. The airline plans to run daily flights on a 150-seat Airbus A-320 aircraft. DaytonaBeach.com

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The Palm Beaches Celebrates Record-Breaking Tourism

The historic Harriet Himmel Theatre held a crowd of more than 200 guests during the Nov. 5 Annual Tourism Event for Discover The Palm Beaches. Elected officials, hospitality industry leaders and DTPB partners listened to a presentation by guest speaker Gary Oster, executive VP of member services and managing direc-tor of Project: Time Off for the U.S. Travel Association. “After a record-breaking tourism year where The Palm Beaches welcomed 6.3 million visitors, we are implementing strategic marketing and sales efforts for 2016 to continue this amazing momentum,” says JorgePesquera,DTPBpresidentandCEO.PalmBeachFL.com

Jorge Pesquera, president/CEO of Discover The Palm Beaches; Jon Van Arnam, deputy county administrator of Palm Beach County; and Steve Craig, president/CEO of Career Source Palm Beach County

St. Lucie County Posts Banner Year

St. Lucie County Tourism Office experienced a 12.7 percent in-crease in TDT revenue for FY2014-2015, compared to the previous record-breaking year, setting a new high and bringing in more than $3.4 million. Once again, March was St. Lucie County’s busiest tourism month, setting a new high, generating more than $546,145. Most notably, September 2015, typically the county’s lowest gen-erating month, also set a record high, bringing in $170,765—the highest amount ever collected in the history of St. Lucie County’s TDT collections. VisitStLucieFla.com

Visitors are drawn to the uncrowded and vast beaches on Hutchinson Island, Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County.

Quick Trips!

South Walton’s Record-Breaking Year

Visit South Walton and community leaders gathered to celebrate another year of success for the destination. At its annual meeting on Oct. 14, the community was recognized as FY2015 attracted more than three million visitors and created a tourism economy of more than $2.8 billion within South Walton’s 26-mile stretch. During the meeting, Mike Ragsdale of The 30A Company was named the annual Van Ness Butler, Jr. Hospitality Award winner, and Melody Bogle was recognized as South Walton Artist of the Year. VisitSouthWalton.com

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Visit South Walton staffPhoto: Visit South Walton

Hosting such events as the 2012 Republication National Convention, annual Boat Show and MetroCon and ComicCon events, the Tampa Convention Center has been an integral part of the area’s booming convention and special event industry.

Tampa Convention Center Celebrates 25 Years

Tampa Convention Center (TCC) celebrated its 25th anniversary in November. Hosting more than 300 events each year, TCC has welcomed groups of all sizes for all occasions. Built in 1990 for $140 million, the site was originally the American outpost on Tampa Bay,establishedin1824.Today,thefacilityboasts600,000sq.ft.ofspace,includinga200,000sq.ft.exhibithall,aballroomthatcanaccommodate more than 2,000 guests and 36 meeting rooms for breakout functions. VisitTampaBay.com

Quick Trips!

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Naples Is a Condé Nast Best Small City

Readers of the leading travel industry publication Condé Nast Traveler have voted Naples, Florida, as one of the nation’s Best Small Cities in the 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards. Naples came in at number 15 with an overall rating of 78.3 out of 100. The Edgewater Beach Hotel was also named on the list of Top 20 Hotels in Florida, ranking number 13 with an overall rating of 85.8. The hotel recently completed a comprehensive guest room renovation and is the only all-suite luxury hotel on the beach in Naples. ParadiseCoast.com

Periscope Provides Live Broadcasts of St. Pete/Clearwater

Visit St. Pete/Clearwater has enjoyed out-of-the-blocks success with the early adoption of Periscope, the live broadcast app. VSPC’s streams have captured real-time tours of the Loews Don Cesar and Postcard Inn on St. Pete Beach and the release of a sea turtle at the ClearwaterMarineAquarium,aswellassunrisesandsunsets.Robustviewer engagement earned the agency’s Periscope program a feature in a new series called “Moving Images: The New Era of Travel Video,” on Skift and Travel Channel. VisitStPeteClearwater.com

Naples’ Edgewater Beach Hotel is a Top 20 Hotel in Florida.

Visitors to the VSPC website are treated to real-time views of the area’s beautiful sunrises and sunsets.Photo: Visit St. Pete/Clearwater

Quick Trips!

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Showcasing the Attendee Experience

Visit Orlando has unveiled new brand creative for the meetings and conventions market with the theme “Share Orlando.” The cam-paignshowcasesuniquemeetingexperiencesacrossOrlandofromthe attendee’s and planner’s perspective. These sharable moments are meant to inspire meeting professionals to imagine themselves in Orlando. “Visit Orlando is reaching out to the storyteller in all of our meeting goers through this new brand creative in order to showcase the many things that they can do before, during and after the meeting,” says Visit Orlando President and CEO George Aguel. VisitOrlando.com

Visit Sarasota County Breaks 1 Million Mark

For the first time in history, Sarasota County broke the 1 million mark for number of visitors. In FY2015, 1,084,140 visitors stayed in paid lodging, an increase of 9.3 percent over FY2014. Both direct expenditures and economic impact increased 12 percent. “With new hotel inventory opening in the coming year; new cultural, sporting and natural offerings; and a new creative campaign, VSC will strive to ensure Sarasota County continues to be a destination of choice for new and returning visitors.” says Virginia J. Haley, CDME, president of Visit Sarasota County. VisitSarasota.org

Meeting goers “Share Orlando.” More than 1 million visitors traveled to Sarasota County this year.

The Gulf Toast Guide is a treasure map for visitors seeking to quench their thirst for local brews and spirits along the southwestern coast of Florida.

Gulf Coast DMOs Partner on Local Brews/Spirits Guide

The ever-popular craft beer movement inspired five destinations across Florida’s Gulf Coast to partner on the first-ever “The Gulf Toast” guide to craft breweries, spirits and wine. The DMOs in Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota counties partnered on the guide. Contributed by VisitSarasota.org

Bradenton Area Hosts Harvest and Harmony, Blues Festival

The Bradenton Area hosted the second annual Harvest and Har-mony,oneofthemostuniqueculinaryeventsheldintheSouth,onOct. 24 at Dakin Dairy Farm. The anticipated event featured a true farm-to-fork dinner prepared by Fete Catering using Southern Living inspired recipes highlighting fresh, locally grown ingredients. The Bra-denton Area is host to the Fourth Annual Bradenton Blues Festival on Dec. 4-6. Soak up the sun and exceptional blues music on Bradenton’s Riverwalk overlooking the Manatee River. MyManatee.org

A true farm-to-fork culinary event at Dakin Dairy Farm in BradentonPhoto: Bradenton Area CVB

News From Visit Central Florida

Visit Central Florida (VCF) unveiled several new marketing and advertising initiatives during its recent Launch Party event. The event celebrated the launch of the agency’s completely redesigned website, 2016 Vacation Guide, new advertising campaign and new promotional videos. VCF recently hosted journalists from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia and Mexico on a press tour of Polk County. VCF anticipates the journalists will produce travel features for their respective media outlets, encouraging Latin American travelers to experience, and stay in, Polk County. VisitCentralFlorida.org

VCF staff and TDC board members pose with VISIT FLORIDA staff during the VCF Launch Party.Photo: Leah Garey

Quick Trips!

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Quick Trips!

Lee County Breaks TDT Record for Fifth Consecutive Year

The Lee County VCB reported record-breaking tax collections for the fifth year in a row, with $37.8 million in TDT on paid ac-commodations for FY2014-2015, which ended Sept. 30. The new record is a 13.3 percent increase over last year’s record-breaking $33.3 million in collections. The resort tax collection for September 2015 was $1,491,598, a 17.7 percent increase over September 2014 collections of $1,267,562. FortMyers-Sanibel.com

Englewood Restaurant Week a Bountiful Success

The Charlotte Harbor VCB and Visit Sarasota County partnered with the Englewood, Florida Chamber of Commerce to launch the inaugural Let’s Eat! Englewood restaurant week, Sept. 25-Oct. 8. Twenty-six Englewood-area restaurants participated, and many saw increased covers with one seeing a 300 percent increase in business. Estimated revenue generated for area restaurants was about $200,000 over the previous year. Because of its success, Let’s Eat! Englewood will return Sept. 18-25, 2016. CharlotteHarborTravel.com; VisitSarasota.org

A record number of visitors are running to the beaches in Lee County.Photo: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel/FortMyersSanibel.com

Let’s Eat! Englewood kicked off with a media and VIP tasting party where participating restaurant chefs received personalized chef coats presented by sponsor Cheney Brothers.

Jeannie (aka Barbara Eden) strikes her signature pose during a recent event in Cocoa Beach.Photo: Tim Short/Florida Today

Jeannie Returns to Cocoa BeachFifty years ago, Jeannie put Cocoa Beach on the map with a nod and a blink. She returned recently for two events: the inaugural Ron Jon Cocoa Beach Half Marathon and the “On the Magic Carpet With Barbara Eden” stage show. Space Coast Office of Tourism Director Eric Garvey said that Eden’s appearance helped attract more people to the Space Coast from outside the area, leading to increased spending at local hotels, restaurants and retail shops. VisitSpaceCoast.com

Quick Trips! 2015 DMO Compensation& Benefits Study

Now available at http://bit.ly/DMO_Report

The 2015 Florida DMO Organizational & Financial Profile Study is now available for you to download from the FADMO website. This is the most comprehensive study of its type pro-duced for destination marketing organizations. The report focus-es on critical topics—revenue sources, program expenditures, organizational structure—and provides a wealth of information for you to identify opportunities to strengthen your DMO.

The 2015 Florida DMO Organizational & Financial Profile Study was published by Destination Marketing Associa-tion International (DMAI), and is the result of collaboration between DMAI and the Florida Association of Destination Marketing Organizations (FADMO).

To download your copy of the report, please visit the FADMO website at the following link: http://bit.ly/DMO_Report.

“Bringing more customers to Florida”

Florida Association of Destination Marketing Organizations

The Florida Association of Destination Marketing Organizations represents the 54 official county DMOs that promote their communities throughout the world. These tourism promotion activities help to attract 91.4 million visitors to Florida, generating $71.8 billion in spending and 1,058,000 jobs. These activities are made possible by Tourist Development Taxes provided by Florida Statutes Section 125.0104.

The FADMO serves as the single unifying voice for all of Florida’s DMOs, providing continuing insight and direction as we face an increasingly competitive tourism marketplace. Organized in 1996, the FADMO strives to increase the overall effectiveness of Florida DMOs’ destination marketing efforts through industry education, legislative outreach, enhancing professionalism and facilitating communication.

Florida Association of Destination Marketing OrganizationsExecutive Director, Robert Skrob, CAE • Lobbyists, Brian Ballard and Mat Forrest, 850/577-04441390 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee, FL 32312, USA • Phone: 850/222-6000 • Fax: 850/222-6002 • Web: www.FADMO.org

Enclosed is your copy of Tourism Marketing Today.A monthly publication of the

1390 Timberlane RoadTallahassee, FL 32312