Red tide taking a big bite out of room bookings on Anna Maria Island

The persistence of red tide along the shores of Manatee and Sarasota counties since early August has taken a toll on all tourist-related businesses, including the ledgers of hoteliers.

“The hotels are way off,” said Rob Ferguson, who has served as chairman of the Sarasota Bradenton Hotel Committee for 11 years. “It’s a big deal.”

Beach-side hotels, which typically would now be enjoying a 70 percent occupancy rate, are reporting anywhere from 40 percent to 16 percent occupancy because of red tide, Ferguson said.

By another measure, the impact of red tide in August in Manatee County may not have been as severe as expected. Even though red tide arrived on Manatee County beaches in August, bed tax collections were up 1.3 percent over August 2017, said Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Figures are not yet available for September collections.

Inland hotels suffering, too

Ferguson, corporate sales director for the Even Hotel and Fairfield Inn and Suites at Lakewood Ranch, said occupancy at Lakewood Ranch on the east side of Interstate 75 is off 20 to 25 percent.

“The red tide has been here so long and so intensively that it has definitely affected tourism. Once it hit Clearwater Beach, it just took off,” Ferguson said of how the negative news spread nationally and internationally.

The hotel association has been working closely with Mote Marine and the tourist development bureaus in Bradenton and Sarasota to manage the blow to tourism.

The visitors who continue to come to Manatee County are proving to be a valuable ally in changing perceptions about red tide. Their videos on social media, showing that the beaches are beautiful and open for business, encourage others to make their reservations here, Ferguson said.

Some of those allies Monday were guests at Cedar Cove Resort and Cottages, 2710 Gulf Drive N., Holmes Beach.

“Every day it’s getting better. It’s a gorgeous day. We have people playing football in the water,” said Cedar Cove host Eric Cairns.

While many as 75 percent of guests at Cedar Cove have decided to push back their reservation dates, relatively few have canceled their stays — about 10 or 15 percent, Cairns said.

“I was here in 2005, and the red tide that year was terrible. This red tide is lingering and shifting,” Cairns said.

Court Zoller, owner of Anna Maria Island Inn, 2218 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach, said red tide has been a “double whammy” for the hospitality industry.

Some customers canceled their reservations while others didn’t book at all, spooked by media reports.

“The first date that we saw red tide at this location was Aug. 5, and since then there have only been eight to 10 days that we saw bad conditions here,” Zoller said. “I am not discounting red tide. It’s so sad to see fish die on that scale.

“I have lived here my whole life and red tide is nothing new. The severity of this one is worse,” Zoller said.

Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the area has been hard hit by red tide.

“As of two weeks ago, reservations were down for October and November 80 percent from a year ago,” Falcione said.

In response to red tide’s drag on restaurants and other tourism dependent business, the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau organized Restaurants Month for October. Participating eateries are offering specials to get diners to come back and take advantage of the views and the menus with little or no waiting time.

“I believe in my heart that if you live in Manatee County, it is time to go out and enjoy the unique restaurants that make up Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key. Embrace it. It’s time to do that,” Falcione said.

In addition, a sweepstake will be announced soon for those who dine at island restaurants. The winning diner will receive free round-trip tickets and a one-week stay at Anna Maria Island that they can give out-of-state friends.

“We want people to enjoy the sugar sand and the turquoise water,” Falcione said, but the bureau is holding tight with its advertising money until it receives an all-clear on red tide.

Visitors to Anna Maria Island traditionally are repeat customers, and tourism officials want to be transparent about red tide conditions, Falcione said.

“For the past two weeks we have seen a vast improvement in red tide, and the smell has been dissipating. We hope to get an all clear no later than Nov. 1,” he said. “We hope that people that canceled their reservations will rebook.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2018 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Red tide taking a big bite out of room bookings on Anna Maria Island."