Attracting Visitors Amid a Pandemic

Miles Partnership and Visit Sarasota County

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

October, 2020 – You might not know the name Miles Partnership, but this Sarasota-based strategic marketing firm—a company that’s focused exclusively on travel and tourism—is quietly doing a lot to help support Sarasota’s local tourism community and businesses. How? Through names you probably do know, like Visit Sarasota County, which is the official tourism marketing entity and provider of visitor information for Sarasota county.

Visit Sarasota County operates three official sarasota visitors information centers and a visitor information vehicle that appears at popular tourist spots and events. It also produces the “Official Sarasota County Visitors Guide” that is distributed to 100,000 potential visitors each year.

Arts & Cultural Attractions

Tourism is one of the biggest economic drivers we have. In 2019, nearly 3 million visitors to our area produced a $3.1 million impact. It’s high-profile Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) like Visit Sarasota County that help make that happen. And in a time where COVID-19 makes travel potentially less attractive than ever, promoting tourism is a challenging task.

Miles is ready to assist, says Andrea Wood, Vice President of Marketing at Miles Partnership. Together, Miles and Visit Sarasota County have identified shifts in target audiences and messaging, building on “Miles-led research and insight into how traveler sentiment has evolved in tandem with the pandemic’s evolution.”

Visit Sarasota County has always pursued quality over quantity, says its vice president, Erin Duggan. “We want to target the right kind of visitor for our destination—someone who will enjoy all of the attributes that makes Sarasota County so special. We have always targeted specific types of consumers, like those who enjoy arts and culture, or eco-adventurers.” With less funding for advertising, they’re still seeking those types of visitors, but they’re also looking for visitors who exhibit key behaviors that would indicate that they’re genuinely interested in traveling.

Power of Destination Marketing

Destination marketing and management organizations such as Visit Sarasota County are official local government organizations or public/private partnerships that have the mission to promote and help manage a critical part of local economies—tourism. The biggest misconception about DMOs, says Wood, is about how they are funded.

Wood explains that most DMOs—especially convention and visitor bureaus—are actually funded by taxes and fees raised directly from visitors themselves. That means hotel room bed taxes and general sales taxes, namely. About 92% of this visitor funding goes to support local government initiatives, including roads, schools, police departments, and public parks. That leaves just 7% of this tax revenue paid by visitors in 2019 (down from 9% in 2009) for DMOs. And for state tourism organizations, their share is more along the lines of 2%.

In return for the funding they do receive, DMOs undertake marketing to attract more visitors who in turn spend more money and pay more taxes. “DMOs also work increasingly in the management of tourism in the community to ensure that the benefits of tourism are widely shared,” Wood says. “This includes city and county planning, supporting small and start-up businesses, and helping build vibrant community events.”

How did Miles Partnership come to understand all this? Because they partnered with Civitas, Tourism Economics, the U.S. Travel Association, and Destination Marketing Association of Canada to create “Funding Futures,” the largest study ever done on tourism and DMO funding. The main takeaway from that analysis is this—far from being “corporate welfare” recipients, DMOs are a key part of an industry that hugely supports public finances in the U.S. 

Promoting Paradise

Miles recently launched the Tourism Business Marketing Academy, an online portal where local businesses can find tools and resources to help them optimize and improve results from all aspects of digital marketing. “Since launching the program just a few months ago, we’ve had more than 600 businesses from destinations across the country log in and utilize the system,” says Wood. Visit Sarasota County has signed up for the program and will be rolling it out to partners in October. 

Here in Sarasota, we get it. Tourism is vital. “Miles has been a trusted partner of Visit Sarasota County for many years, working together since 2003,” says Duggan. “It is amazing to have such a powerful resource that specializes in destination marketing headquartered right here in the same county that we represent.”

For more information on
• great deals offered by local businesses, visit www.sarasotabigpass.com.
• timely efforts to support DMOs, visit covid19.milespartnership.com.
• area tourism, visit www.visitsarasota.com. 

Everyone Can Pitch In

How can we help ensure Sarasota remains a must-experience destination on Florida’s Gulf Coast?

One easy way to make a difference, says Duggan, is get on social media and share the fun things you enjoy doing here, along with images of the gorgeous area where we all live, work, and play in daily. “Helping us market Sarasota County as a destination to friends and family,” explains Duggan, “in turn increases attendance in our local short-term rental accommodations, thus increasing sales at area businesses that rely on tourism.”

Duggan also recommends we patronize local businesses to help them thrive. “Eat out in the restaurants, whether dining in or taking out. Shop at our local stores—again, most are open and offering curbside delivery for those who need it. Here at Visit Sarasota County, we have a great program called Sarasota Big Pass, where locals and visitors can find many deals at area businesses.”