Punta Gorda Tourism Boom

AT WGCU DOT ORG. FLORIDA IS A VACATIONERS PARADISE AND TOURISM CONTINUES TO BE A DRIVING FORCE IN OUR STATE'S ECONOMY LAST YEAR, A RECORD 143 MILLION VISITORS CAME TO THE SUNSHINE STATE, CONTRIBUTING NEARLY 130 BILLION DOLLARS TO FLORIDA'S ECONOMY. WGCUS TEDDY BYRNE LEARNED HOW THIS GROWTH IN TOURISM HAS BEEN FELT IN GORDA WHICH SAW AN INCREASE IN VISITORS, ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. >> SO I'M JOINED BY THE TORRENT DIRECTOR FOR THE GORDA AND ENGLEWOOD BEACH VISITOR CONVENTION BUREAU. SEAN DOHERTY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> ABSOLUTE GLAD TO BE HERE. >> SO LAST YEAR, GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS REPORTED RECORD-BREAKING NUMBERS FOR TOURISM. WERE YOU SEEING SIMILAR THINGS IN THE GORDA AREA LAST YEAR? >> SO LAST YEAR WE HAD JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A DIP, BUT WE WERE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE STATE AND THE FACT THAT WE WERE DEALING STILL DEALING WITH THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANES. HELENE AND MILTON. BUT I AM HAPPY TO REPORT SO FAR THIS YEAR IN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE ARE UP PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY. SO WE JUST GOT OUR NUMBERS BACK FROM MARCH. FOR EXAMPLE, AND WE'RE UP ABOUT 5% VERSUS LAST MARCH. SO WE'RE DEFINITELY HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. >> AND THEN I WANT TO TALK WITH THE DEMOGRAPHICS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THAT AREA IS BIG FOR INTERNATIONAL TOURISM. AND WE WERE JUST TALKING BEFORE THIS. AND YOU ARE SAYING THAT YOU'VE MADE GREAT STRIDES IN BRINGING MORE EUROPEAN PARTICIPANTS TO COME AND VISIT THIS BEAUTIFUL AREA. >> YET SOMETHING THAT WE HADN'T REALLY FOCUSED ON IN THE PAST, WE WE KIND OF DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE BUDGET TO REALLY GO AFTER THOSE RIGHT WAY. SO WE WE KIND OF HELD OFF, BUT THE PAST COUPLE YEARS WERE ABLE TO BRING ON SOME INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATION FIRMS TO HELP US BOTH IN THE UK MARKET AND THE GERMAN MARKET IN PARTICULAR. AND WE ARE SEEING SOME STRIDES THERE. WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASE IN VISITATION FROM BOTH OF THOSE CENTS OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS. SO WE'RE WE'RE OPTIMISTIC AND EXCITED BECAUSE, AGAIN, WE JUST STARTED DOING THAT A COUPLE YEARS AGO WHERE WE START TO SEE RETURNS ON THAT. >> AND THEN ALSO THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS IS REALLY DIVING INTO THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THINGS. THERE'S OBVIOUSLY THE SUNSEEKER RESORT. YOU COULD EVENTUALLY CENTER AND THAT HAS BEEN A BIG PROJECT AND HOPEFULLY BRINGING MORE PEOPLE IN FOR YOU. SO WHAT IS FUTURE FOR THAT? I MEAN, IS IT CONTINUES TO GROW. WHAT ARE YOU HOPING? IT CONTINUES TO BRING FOR THE AREA? >> YES, SO IT WAS ON A GOOD TRAJECTORY ALREADY IN FROM YEAR ONE TO 2 TO 3 AND THAT THEY WERE INCREASING THEIR BUSINESS PARTICULAR FROM THE MEETINGS, INVENTION SIDE OF THINGS, BUT ALSO THE LEISURE BUSINESS WAS STARTING TO RAMP UP AS WELL. ONE THING THAT THEY DID FIND OUT IN THE FIRST COUPLE YEARS IS THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH MEETING SPACE. THEY WERE LOSING SOME BUSINESS TO SOME BIG CONFERENCES AND CONVENTIONS ONLY BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE THAT EXTRA THEY JUMPED ON IT AND THEY ARE GETTING READY TO BREAK GROUND VERY SOON. ON 100,000 SQUARE FEET OF ADDITIONAL MEETING SPACE. SO I THINK THAT'S GONNA, YOU KNOW, REALLY DO A LOT FOR FOR THAT SEGMENT OF THE MARKET TO WHERE WE CAN BRING IN A LOT OF THOSE VISITORS THAT ARE COMING FOR MEETINGS IN MENTIONS AND A LOT OF TIMES THAT CONVERTS INTO FUTURE LEISURE VISITORS AS WELL. AND SOME WILL COME BECAUSE THEY THEY'VE COME ATTEND THAT CONFERENCE AND THEY GET EXPOSED TO THE STATION FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND THEY THEY LIKE AND THEY COME BACK. >> SO WITHIN THIS EXCESSIVE SUN SEEKERS ARE ANY PLANS FOR IMPLEMENTING OTHER TYPE OF BUSINESS VENTURES SIMILAR TO THAT TO HELP AGAIN, INCREASE THAT FLOW OF TOURISM COMING THROUGH THE AREA. SO, YEAH, WE HAVE ANOTHER ANOTHER PROJECT GOING ON RIGHT NOW WITH FISHERMAN'S VILLAGE. YOU PROBABLY HEARD THAT IT'S RECENTLY BEEN SOLD. >> AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THAT COULD ENTAIL. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THAT WHILE IT WAS UP FOR SALE OVER THE PAST YEARS, IT WAS ABLE TO OPERATE BUSINESS AS USUAL WITH A NEW OWNER COMING ON ON BOARD WERE HOPEFUL THAT THAT WILL LEAD TO SOME MORE EXPANSION OF THAT. THE OFFERINGS THERE THEY'RE WORKING ON. I KNOW ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WILL BE WORKING ON IS GETTING THAT MARINA MARINA BACK UP AND RUNNING. BUT THERE'S ALSO 3 NEW RESTAURANTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE COMING INTO THAT DEVELOPMENT VERY SOON. THEY SHOULD BE OPENING WITHIN THE NEXT A COUPLE MONTHS. SO, YEAH, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT AS WELL. >> AND THEN THE MARINA TOOK A HIT FROM SEVERAL HURRICANES IN THE PAST. BUT NOW WE HAD A DRY SEASON LAST YEAR. THINGS ARE LOOKING OPTIMISTIC AS WE ENTER HURRICANE SEASON COMING HERE IN JUNE. 1ST. SO WHEN YOU HAVE KIND OF THIS DEATH AND THIS DIE DOWN OF HURRICANES, HOW DOES THAT HELP YOU WHEN BOTH PLANNING EVENTS AND PLANNING THING'S FOR PEOPLE OVER THE SUMMER MONTHS? >> YOU KNOW, THE FURTHER YOU GET AWAY FROM A STORM OCCURRING, THE PERCEPTION CONTINUES TO IMPROVE. SO THAT'S KIND OF THE THING THAT WE WERE DEALING WITH LAST YEAR. NOT ONLY WAS IT THAT AFTER MATH OF THOSE STORMS AND THE SUMMER VACATION RENTALS STILL BEING DAMAGING COMING BACK ONLINE AND AND ALL. BUT IS THAT PERCEPTION? SO THE FURTHER WE GET AWAY FROM A STORM OCCURRING HERE, PEOPLE TEND TO FORGET THEY HAVE SHORT MEMORIES, WHICH IS GOOD FROM THAT STANDPOINT. SO AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT VERY OFTEN THAT WE GET, YOU KNOW, REALLY HIT HARD BY A BY A HURRICANE. SO THAT'S ONLY GOING TO BE HELPFUL TO US. AND THEN, YOU KNOW. >> WHERE YOU LOOKED AT WHAT CHARLOTTE COUNTY IS KNOWN FOR. IT REALLY DOESN'T HAVE A GUESS THAT BEACH TOUTING THAT SAY A SANIBEL DOES OR IN APRIL THE SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WHEN COMING TO THE AREA CAN EXPECT AND IS THERE ANYTHING PLANNED IN THE FUTURE THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE MARKING DOWN THEIR CALENDARS FOR? YES, SO, YOU KNOW, OUR BEACHES AREN'T AS WELL KNOWN AS THE SOME OTHER ONES, BUT IT'S STILL THE MAJOR GRALL OF PEOPLE COMING TOWARD A STATION. OUR RESEARCH CONSISTENTLY SHOWS THAT CLOSE TO 30% OF PEOPLE CHOOSE TO COME TO OUR DESTINATION PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF THE BEACHES. AND THEN OVER HALF OF THE PEOPLE, EVEN IF IT WASN'T THEIR PRIMARY REASON FOR COMING, THEY STILL GO TO THE BEACHES AT SOME POINT DURING THEIR VISIT. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A LOT WE REALLY SELL OUR DESTINATION AS AN OUTDOOR RECREATION DESTINATIONS. SO THERE'S SO MANY OTHER OPPORTUNITIES GET ON THE WATER, WHETHER IT'S FISHING, YOU KNOW, WE WE CAN CONSTANTLY TALK ABOUT HOW WERE THE TARPON FISHING CAPITAL WORLD. AND WE'VE GOT WE JUST HAD FISHING JOURNALISTS IN TOWN AND THEY HAD A GREAT WATER. ALL OF THEM CALLED TARPON DURING THEIR VISIT. BUT KAYAKING JET SKIING, ANYTHING YOU DO ON THE WATER, WE'VE GOT IT RIGHT HERE BECAUSE, OF COURSE, WE'VE GOT CHARLOTTE HARBOR. WE'VE GOT THE RIVERS. WE'VE GOT THE GULF. SO THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS TO GET OUT ON THE WATER OR GETTING UP CLOSE WITH NATURE TO. WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF ECO TOURS. SUNSET CRUISES THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO IT'S KIND OF WHAT WHERE WE KIND OF FOCUS ON PROMOTING OUR DESTINATION ABOUT IS GETTING OUTDOORS. >> SO WHEN ADVENTURES PARADISE, THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S RIGHT. WELL, MISTER DOHERTY, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO COME HERE AND TALK WITH US TODAY ABOUT THIS. ABSOLUTELY, ANYTIME. >> HERE'S A LITTLE MORE ON THE HISTORY OF CHARLOTTE COUNTY. ONCE THE ENGLISH CLAIMED THE AREA CALLED CARLOS BAY, IT WAS RENAMED CHARLOTTE HARBOR IN HONOR OF QUEEN CHARLOTTE, THE WIFE OF KING GEORGE, THE 3RD. 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