‘Enjoy it but also respect it.’ New ads tell tourists to protect Manatee’s environment
Manatee County mayors are praising a marketing campaign by the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau that will be introduced on Earth Day.
The campaign encourages visitors to area beaches, parks and other amenities to “Love It Like a Local.”
Taking a friendly approach, the campaign stresses the importance of properly disposing of trash, recycling, and avoiding intrusion into sensitive areas such as sand dunes, sea oats, and mangroves.
The campaign also encourages visitors to slow down and enjoy “island time” by respecting speed limits and watching for bicyclists, pedestrians and golf carts.
Many of the tips are common sense, such as not parking on lawns, or having loud parties that go late into the night.
Visitors are invited to take a final exam online for “Love It Like a Local” and be entered for prizes such as eco-friendly straws, utensil kits, water bottles, and reef-safe sunscreen. The grand prize is a free trip giveaway to one lucky visitor, who will be designated as an “honorary local.”
The winner will be selected in September. Contestants must post an image of themselves on social media in a local destination putting the tips to use with the hash tag #LoveItLikeaLocal and tagging @Visit_Bradenton.
“This initiative is a long time overdue,” Mayor John Chappie of Bradenton Beach said. “We welcome visitors to enjoy what we get to enjoy every day.”
Defining expected behavior is necessary as tourism grows and the county’s population swells to more than 400,000, Chappie said.
Mayor Judy Titsworth of Holmes Beach said the marketing campaign hits every singe pillar of expected behavior, and called it wonderful.
Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant of Palmetto said the campaign needs to be expanded to the local community as well and that she hopes it will be incorporated by the Manatee School District.
Mayor Gene Brown of Bradenton said that it is important that the entire community is respecting Manatee’s environment.
“Enjoy it but also respect it,” is how Misty Servia, chair of the Manatee County Tourist Development Council, put it.
“Historically, the summer brings with it high visitation so it is important that we find a fun way to engage visitors and remind them how to visit responsibly, both before they arrive and throughout their stay,” said Elliott Falcione, director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“It is a serous subject, but one we were able to approach in a lighthearted way, which we expect will resonate well with our visitors and result in positive behaviors,” Falcione said.
The campaign is initially being promoted through media relations and social media. The campaign will also be promoted on digital advertising, targeting visitors in-state this summer, and later by top markets in the Northeast and Midwest.
For more information, visit loveitlikelocals.com.
In other business Monday, the TDC recommended the Manatee County Commission fund partnerships with three Anna Maria Island cities using tourist bed tax money:
▪ Up to $850,000 for Bradenton Beach to expand the city pier at 200 Bridge Street to accommodate up to 18 vessels and a water taxi service.
▪ Up to $280,000 to reimburse Holmes Beach for capital improvements to an erosion control seawall on Marina Drive.
▪ Up to $41,200 to assist Holmes Beach with improvements to 22 acres it is purchasing to expand Grassy Point as a passive park on Sarasota Bay. The tourist tax money wound be used for board walks, information signs, and an additional entrance. The park is located east of the 3200 block of East Bay Drive.
▪ Up to $500,000 to the city of Anna Maria for a proposed learning center on the Anna Maria City Pier to be operated by Mote Marine.
Brown said the new proposed or improved amenities on Anna Maria Island could help make the long desired dream of a water taxi serving the island cities and Bradenton/Palmetto a more attractive proposition for a potential taxi operator..
This story was originally published April 19, 2021 at 3:21 PM.
