‘Pent-up demand.’ What does the return of international travelers mean for Bradenton?
After being locked out of the United States for the better part of two years by the COVID-19 pandemic, international visitors are expected to begin returning to the Bradenton area and the Manatee County beaches in the next few weeks.
On Monday, the United States lifted the travel ban on international visitors who have proof of vaccination and a recent negative COVID-19 test.
Representatives of the Bradenton area tourism industry, the economic locomotive for Manatee County, couldn’t be happier.
In normal times, international visitors account for about 15% of tourists , said Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“There is strong pent-up demand, and we expect that the number of international visitors will grow over the next eight to 10 months,” Falcione said.
Eric Cairns, manager of Cedar Cove Resort and Cottages in Holmes Beach, said his phone has been “ringing off the hook” and his email box has been filling up with inquiries, especially from England, Scotland, Ireland and Germany.
“They are quite excited. They have had this pent-up demand for a long time, and they will be staying longer than usual,” Cairns said.
Some of the international visitors will be staying for three weeks or longer, Cairns said.
Rob Ondo of Shore Walk Vacation Rentals, located on the Bradenton mainland at 4601 46th St. Court W., is also seeing intense interest from international visitors, particularly from Brits, Germans and the French.
Because of its location near IMG Academy, Shore Walk Vacation Rental also sees visitors from South Korea, Belarus and elsewhere.
“It’s already started. We are seeing a lot of interest from the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany,” Ondo said.
The first wave of international visitors are expected to arrive in Bradenton next week, he said.
Unless there is “another blip in the road” from the virus, 2022 should be a strong year for hosting international visitors in the Bradenton area, Ondo said.
The return of Canadian visitors should be a “huge shot in the arm,” he said. “I think this season will be pretty strong.”
International flights to SRQ
It is unlikely the tap that turns on the flow of international visitors will be at full stream immediately.
Air Canada, the only airline providing a direct international connection at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, isn’t scheduled to resume service at SRQ until February, Rick Piccolo, the airport’s president and CEO, said Monday.
Prior to the pandemic, about 10% of the travelers passing through SRQ were from other countries and reached the Bradenton-Sarasota area by first passing through other international airports.
While the international visitors were missed in the Bradenton area, domestic travelers from Florida, the Southeast and Northeast helped take up much of the slack, Falcione said.
A share of the domestic visitors would have traveled internationally in normal times, but with that opportunity unavailable they turned instead to desirable stateside locations like Anna Maria Island. That shift helped keep the rates that beach-side lodging hosts could charge high, Falcione said.
Price points are always a concern, but visitors also see the Bradenton area and the beaches at Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key as a safe, friendly destination, Ondo said.
“They like this part of Florida,” he said.
