More tourists than ever came to Bradenton area in 2021, surpassing pre-pandemic levels
Pandemic or no pandemic, a record number of visitors — 969,300 — came to the Bradenton area in 2021.
They represented an economic impact of $1.3 billion, up from $908.9 million in 2020, Anne Wittine of Research Data Services told members of the Manatee County Tourist Development Council on Monday.
While the rapid growth in visitors won’t continue at the same pace indefinitely, preliminary indications are that in January 89% of lodging properties showed the same rate of occupancy, or greater, than a year ago, Wittine said.
During 2021, out-of-state visitors came primarily from the Northeast and Midwest. In December, those two areas sent a combined 26,5630 visitors to the Bradenton area, while an almost equal number — 26,190 — came from elsewhere in Florida.
“We are a beach destination and we have a lot of outdoor spaces that people can enjoy,” said Kelly Clark, chief marketing officer of the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Missing in 2021 were international visitors, but they are starting to return with the lifting of travel bans.
Those visitors, primarily from the United Kingdom and Germany, represent about 15% of the total, but stay longer and spend more than any other segment of the tourist population, Clark said.
“There is a huge amount of pent-up demand,” Wittine said.
Ela Ayhan, account director for GOSH PR in the United Kingdom, reported that the UK lifted travel restrictions on Jan. 11, producing an immediate doubling of bookings to Florida, dubbed “Sunshine Saturday.”
The United States is the No. 1 travel destination for travel-starved Brits and Germans.
“Holidays are our formula for happiness,” a German travel account director said.
When mask mandates for airline passengers are lifted, another surge in travelers can be anticipated, Wittine said.
Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, said he is hopeful water taxi service can be launched as early as summer to help take some of the traffic off area roads.
The county is now seeking proposals from water taxi operators, and every city in Manatee County will be included in the process, Falcione said.
A water taxi service is envisioned connecting the Palmetto and Bradenton downtowns with Manatee County’s beach cities.
Florida tourism numbers
On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said tourism across Florida had returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2021 with 30.8 million visits between last October and December.
Over 29 million were domestic tourists, the Associated Press reported. International travelers decreased more than 42% in the fourth quarter of 2021, and there was a a two-thirds drop in Canadian visits.
DeSantis credited the lack of COVID-19 restrictions in the state with helping attract travelers.
“Who wants to travel some place when you want to get a hamburger you have to show your medical papers?” DeSantis said at a news conference in Fort Walton Beach. “In Florida, we don’t do that. We are not doing passports. We are not doing mandates.”
Regatta a roaring success
In other business, Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown, who also serves on the TDC, reported 85,000 people filled downtown Bradenton and Palmetto to watch the annual Bradenton Area River Regatta this past weekend.
TDC chair Misty Servia called the regatta a roaring success.
The regatta adds another attraction to Manatee County beyond its beaches, tourism officials say.
Falcione applauded the event for helping attract business to the urban core of Bradenton and Palmetto.
Other non-beach attractions include Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch and IMG Academy in Bradenton.
Hoteliers reported that 28% of their occupancy in January was sports-related, Wittine said.
