Around Town | Erin Duggan of Visit Sarasota County

By Tom Reese | August 2024

It’s no secret that Sarasota County is a popular destination for those seeking its stunning beaches, vibrant arts and culture, its rich culinary scene, abundant sports, and beautiful tropical weather. 

But just how does Sarasota County get noticed by visitors from around our country and on the world stage? It’s thanks to the promotional efforts of Sarasota native and Visit Sarasota County (VSC) President and CEO Erin Duggan and a hard-working VSC team. 

We wanted to learn more from Erin about VSC and tourism, the top industry in our county, and how it bolsters the local economy, and strengthens our social and cultural tapestry, and we thank Erin for graciously agreeing to do so. 

You’ve been with VSC for 20 years. What has that journey been like and what do you envision for VSC in the future?I have a lifetime of love for this community. I grew up in Sarasota County and attended elementary, middle and high school here. Coming back home after college to start my family and career was an easy decision. All the more reason it’s been a privilege to come full circle and promote my hometown on the world stage at Visit Sarasota County, encouraging visitors to choose us as their destination of choice for leisure, business, or exploration as they look to relocate to the Sunshine State.

What I’ve discovered over two decades is that it’s not just about marketing a destination. There’s an art and science to highlighting the right aspects of our community to the right visitor at the right time. Our identity as Florida’s Cultural Coast® may invite the theater enthusiast, while the outdoor adventurer may find inspiration in our beaches and parks. As our locals will tell you, it may be something different for each person that they find most special.

We are looking forward to tapping into that sentiment in the year ahead. Over the last several months, we’ve engaged with stakeholders, board members, elected officials, industry leaders, and residents to gather input and create a new strategic plan to guide VSC through 2030. Our new plan aims to enhance visitor engagement across leisure, meetings, sports and other segments. We will align funding and programming with local stakeholders, evaluate marketing strategies, and restructure our partnership program, and address both the opportunities and threats impacting our industry. These efforts come together to invite even more people – first timers, repeat visitors, and potential residents —to experience all our community has to offer.

VSC has been honored with several national and statewide awards for innovative programs and impactful solutions to problems facing the tourism industry. Could you elaborate on those efforts and which of those awards mean the most to you? With increased competition from other destinations and leisure industries, we’re constantly evaluating our approach to keep visitors coming, businesses open, and residents employed here in Sarasota, all year long. Over the years, we’ve seen remarkable growth generated by key initiatives like Sarasota County’s airline marketing incentive program, which attracts new air service into Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. Then there’s also Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week, which spotlights our robust dining scene and generates business during a traditionally slower time for our restaurateurs in June. We just wrapped up our 19th annual Savor Sarasota that saw more than 60 restaurants participate and captured over 1.3 billion – yes, you read that right, with a “B” – eyeballs across social channels and other media.

These programs, and the awards that have stemmed from them, are a testament to the support and trust given to us by the Board of County Commissioners, our tourism partners, and critically, our residents. Ultimately, our destination’s success depends so much on our local community. We hear time and again from visitors that one of their favorite aspects of visiting Sarasota is that they feel like a local, and that warm and welcoming hospitality is such a rare treasure.

While many think of Sarasota for its beaches and arts and culture scene, sports-related tourism is also big. How does the Sarasota County Sport Commission (SCSC), a division of VSC, entice people to visit the area for sports related tourism?Sports tourism plays a pivotal role in driving visitation, bolstered by our VSC Sports team working hand in hand with the Sarasota County Parks and Recreation department. Every year they facilitate over 75 sporting events and promote our top-tier facilities, making Sarasota County a standout destination for sports tournaments and sports training. To do so, we’re facilitating conversations with coaches and teams to consider Sarasota the perfect place to train and compete. From MLB spring training games and lively polo matches to beach volleyball on our iconic shores, our community offers a unique blend of world-class beaches alongside high-caliber sporting venues. 

The VSC Sports team continues to expand our event portfolio, introducing new sports and enriching the experiences for athletes and spectators alike, ensuring our area remains a preferred choice for repeat visits.

A particularly exciting development on our radar is the forthcoming indoor sports complex at Nathan Benderson Park. Approved with unanimous support from the Board of County Commissioners in May 2022, this $20 million investment will feature a new boathouse and a 100,000-square-foot event center. It is expected to attract an even broader array of rowing, paddling and nautical events to our community. 

VSC has quite an expansive media relations program with international ties. How are you able to stay connected with so many various partners across the world and maintain such a prominent online and social media presence? The age-old expression—“content is king”—has stuck around for a reason. On any given day, we’re leveraging a robust mix of marketing strategies and tactics, ranging from paid media to out-of-home billboards, to attract the right visitor at the right time. I always joke that five different people visiting our website at the same time would see five different homepages, curated to their interests and aspirations, whether it be arts and culture, eco-tourism, or sports. 

To give you an idea of the scale we’re operating at, we connect with over 250 travel writers each year, securing hundreds of millions of media impressions, which translates to more attention for and buzz about Sarasota County. We’re also collaborating with local freelancers and agencies to produce blogs, videos, and photographic content for over 100,000 loyal readers, made up of visitors and residents alike.

We’re committed to year-round engagement and actively pursue media opportunities both domestically and abroad. And quite recently, our community’s identity as Florida’s Cultural Coast® made a show-stopping return across the pond. In late 2023, we hosted a group of writers from the United Kingdom and introduced them to our world-class attractions. This connection was further strengthened when The Sarasota Ballet performed at the Royal Opera House in London, where we held an activation that engaged over 25 tour operators and media. To date, this campaign has generated over 91 million media impressions, with features in Reuters News, BBC Radio London, and Wanderlust Magazine, illustrating why Sarasota County is a must-visit destination.

The pandemic was a brutal time for tourism and entertainment venues all over the world. How were you able to navigate the difficulties of that time while still planning for the future?For a community like ours where tourism is the top industry, the pandemic made travel potentially less attractive than ever, which in turn took a considerable toll on not only visitation, but also business operations for our local hotels, restaurants, attractions, local services and beyond. As our state reopened, however, we saw a notably strong rebound – from lodging occupancy to local spending – that continued into 2021 and 2022.

For context, each month, our research partner—Downs & St. Germain Research—tracks the number of visitors our destination attracted, their direct expenditures, lodging occupancy and average room rates. These insights help us get a pulse on the health and vitality of our local tourism economy. That’s how we know that in 2023 visitation decreased, but room rates, restaurant, grocery and attraction spending increased slightly.

Be it a global pandemic, regional outbreak of red tide, or catastrophic storm like Hurricane Ian, during an emergency, our top priority is ensuring community and visitor safety. While emergency services lead the response, we at VSC play a vital behind-the-scenes role by assessing the situation, adjusting messaging, and coordinating with area organizations to effectively support our community.

Your primary website, VisitSarasota.com, reaches people all over the world. Prior to pandemic, the site was garnering 5.1 million page views and nearly 655,000 referrals annually. What do those numbers look like now, and what does it take to adapt to a rapidly evolving online world?In 2023, our website, VisitSarasota.com, garnered 5.1 million page views, which hovers around pre-pandemic levels; however, what is truly remarkable is our referrals jumped to 908,000 – a 38% jump even as we’re facing heightened competition across the state and beyond. Key to this success is our presence in niche markets. We want to target the right kind of visitor for our destination, someone who will enjoy all the attributes that make Sarasota County so special. This thinking is what guided us to create several different websites, all under the Visit Sarasota County umbrella, tailored to interests spanning the arts to culinary offerings. And while many of our audiences engage with us online, we can’t forget about those who like to have something in print, even better if that “something” is our visitors guide, which we distribute to about 100,000 to potential visitors annually!

You have been a long-time leader in the local community, serving as President of the Junior League of Sarasota and Past Chair of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s Youth Leadership Program. What are some causes you are passionate about when giving back to your community and the reasons for them?Elevating the quality of life in our community is a cause that’s always been close to my heart, but my two sons, Brett and William, are a big reason why I’ve continued to focus on helping the next generation find their footing and voice. It’s why I currently serve on the Lakewood Ranch Community Activities Board, am an active volunteer at my children’s schools, and recently joined the board at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. I’d be remiss not to give a shout out to the Junior League of Sarasota. I’ve been a member since 2001, so serving as president was truly a privilege, especially as a way to give back to a group that’s done so much for me personally and professionally.  I also recently was chosen to be a part of the 2024-2025 Leadership Florida class and I’m excited to learn from leaders around the state.

You and your husband Patrick have two sons together. What is it like raising your family in Sarasota and what are some of your favorite things to do together in the area? It has been a treat to watch my kids grow up in the community that raised me. We are so lucky to live where we can see sharks at Mote Aquarium, feed flamingos at Sarasota Jungle Gardens, attend birthday parties at Selby Gardens, or go shark teeth hunting on Venice Beach. My kids got to go to camp at the Circus Arts Conservatory and learn how to balance on a globe.  We often choose vacations in colder climates because they’ve been spoiled by our gorgeous beaches and do not like other beaches as much as the beaches here in Florida.

What are some of your favorite places to dine in Sarasota? My recent obsession has been Meliora on Hillview. Chef Drew and Bruce know how to charm you with an unforgettable menu and hospitality, and you can experience it all from a front-row seat to the kitchen if you so choose. I also love the happy hour at Michael’s On East. The bartenders make a fantastic cocktail, and the service and food are stellar. I’d be remiss if I did not mention Agave Bandido in Waterside. One of my sons is a busboy there and has developed quite the positive reputation for his tableside guacamole making. If you visit, ask for the “Guac-Daddy”.  LOL!

If you would like to know more about Visit Sarasota County, please visit visitsarasota.com or call or text (941) 706-1253