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SRQ DAILY SATURDAY PERSPECTIVES EDITION
SATURDAY MAR 8, 2025 |
BY ERIN DUGGAN
Photo courtesy of Visit Florida.
Let’s talk travel, because research tells us that it’s on your mind. Some 32% of travelers have already booked a trip for 2025, and 4 out of 5 U.S. adults have their sights set on a vacation within the next 12 months – an increase of 7% from last year alone.
This macro rise in the global tourism industry is driven by equally macro trends. Part of our role at Visit Sarasota County is to assess which of these trends is a flash in the pan and which could fuel a fire that’ll last for years to come – and invest our marketing dollars accordingly.
Thanks to insights provided by our research partners at Downs & St. Germain Research, we know what we’re seeing locally matches what’s unfolding nationally. Today’s travelers are more intentional with their spending. Thriftier behaviors and tighter budgets are encouraging visitors to put a premium on experiences – increasingly, those being centered around wellness, luxury, events and adventure.
This aligns with a shifting belief that travel is not just a leisure activity but a valuable investment in well-being – an investment that generated $425 billion last year in the U.S. In fact, a majority of American travelers view vacations as a way to build resilience so they’re better able to handle the stresses of everyday life.
With our pristine beaches that rightfully continue to earn national and international accolades, you can easily imagine that nature enthusiasts would be our most responsive audience – and you’d be correct. Luckily for our destination, 70% of travelers are driven by active experiences, only further emphasizing our need to promote outdoor recreation.
As our locals know, coastal charm and luxury go hand-in-hand in Sarasota County, and visitors have caught on. Millennials and Gen Z are expected to make up 45% of luxury sales by 2025, attracted to familiar brands and curated experiences.
Sports tourism is booming among these same demographics, with 67% of Millennial and Gen Z travelers willing to fly, drive, cheer and – in some cases – compete at their favorite events, representing one of the fastest-growing sectors in tourism. Now, nearly half of all travel is planned around a central event.
With these trends in mind, our Sales and Sports Teams respectively are diligently securing future business, often 5-10 years in advance, ensuring Sarasota County remains a premier destination for both luxury travelers and sports tourism enthusiasts alike.
What’s driving these travel decisions? Word-of-mouth remains the most trusted inspiration for trip planning (58%), followed closely by online searches (51%). Both these sources underscore why our team takes such care to steward a strong digital presence and a robust network of more than 500 businesses ready to welcome visitors when they arrive.
While not as alluring as the above trends, transparency is becoming even more imperative as tourism bureaus flex their advocacy muscles to help build a stronger economy and better quality of life for residents.
Recently, we launched a new page on our website, VisitSarasotaCountyTransparency.com, which illustrates exactly how we’re allocating resources and making decisions to maximize these trends – where it makes sense – and to strengthen our relationships with stakeholders, industry partners, and the community. There, you’ll find information on our organizational overview and financial accountability, Tourist Development Tax, and reports that share research and outcomes that guide our every move.
As I hope you’ve gathered from this conversation, talking travel actually encompasses so much more than suitcases packed and heads in beds, though I’d argue both are essential to any successful vacation. Indeed, our business is all about creating and meeting demand for a destination where solo travelers, families, corporate groups, sports teams, and everyone in between can enjoy our big-city amenities and the coastal charm only found on Florida’s Gulf Coast. And the numbers don’t lie: we are, and have been, ready to meet the moment.
Erin Duggan, CDME, is President & CEO of Visit Sarasota County.
Photo courtesy of Visit Florida.
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