Bradenton tourism marketing under review after ‘make a break’ ad appeared in Miami
The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is rethinking its efforts to attract visitors to the area in the face of the exploding coronavirus pandemic.
In early June, the CVB launched a promotional campaign aimed at several large Florida cities, which are considered part of the drive market for Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key beaches.
The CVB launched the campaign shortly after Manatee County received permission from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in May to reopen short-term vacation rentals.
In early June, the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to be flattening. Resort operators had already lost millions of dollars. The time seemed right to begin promoting local tourism, which had been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, sending shock waves through the entire Manatee County economy.
What could go wrong? The pandemic stormed back, and record numbers of Floridians tested positive for COVID-19.
A full-page color ad that was purchased in early June appeared Sunday in the Miami Herald, with the theme “Make a Break for It,” pitching Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key as destinations for those weary of staying inside their houses.
It was a bit of bad timing with the ad appearing the same weekend that beaches were closed in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and the Florida Keys to discourage large crowds from gathering.
The Miami area is not typically a large contributor to Bradenton area tourism. Residents in Miami-Dade who look for a west coast destination typically cut across the state toward Naples or Fort Myers, Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said this week.
In fact, the Miami Herald, owned by McClatchy, also the parent company of the Bradenton Herald, was a “value-added” buy for the campaign. It was not included in the original ad buys.
Sunday’s ad in the Miami Herald was not intended for the Fourth of July holiday but for potential future visitors, Falcione said.
“We will have to reevaluate the campaign now with the coronavirus cases increasing. We will see if we stand down for a while. We are looking at that real hard now,’ Falcione said. “Those buys were made around Memorial Day when things looked like they were getting better.”
Local tourism marketing efforts have been focused on the drive market, pulling from Florida, and other nearby states. Travel by air is slowly recovering but is nowhere close to its pre-pandemic volume at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport and major airports around the United Sates.
Unlike Broward and Dade counties, Manatee County did not close its beaches for the Forth of July holiday weekend, even though Manatee County itself has become a coronavirus hotspot.
Anna Maria Island short-term rental operators reported that their bookings for the Fourth of July holiday weekend were full.
Even though parking on Anna Maria Island is in short-supply after Holmes Beach removed 1,100 parking spots, visitors who stay in short-term rentals typically enjoy on-site parking privileges.
This story was originally published July 7, 2020 at 10:12 AM.
