Regional Tourism Leaders Partner to Promote Florida’s West Coast

November 1, 2024 | Sarasota

Following a series of townhalls with hospitality partners and community stakeholders, Visit Sarasota County (VSC) has announced a joint $200,000 campaign with the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (BACVB) to let visitors know that the Sarasota-Bradenton region remains a viable travel destination. The “Florida’s West Coast” campaign will launch on Friday, November 1, and run through the remainder of 2024.

Custom digital content will promote hidden gems throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties to major metros including New York, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, among others. Once here, a Neighborhood Navigator Pass encourages visitors to check into 15 unique areas across the region, with giveaways to incentivize further exploration.

“The day after Hurricane Helene hit, we were on the phone with our friends to the North to plan this collaborative campaign – truly in response to the hit our regional hospitality industry took as a whole, but particularly in light of a damaging perception of what transpired on our barrier islands,” said Erin Duggan, President and CEO of VSC. “We’ve been working in lockstep together to launch only when it was safe to do so, to ensure our local businesses and residents were ready to welcome visitors. With added support from VISIT FLORIDA, we’re eager to see the good this campaign will do in promoting the vitality of our entire region.”

“The partnership with Visit Sarasota allows the region to optimize this important outreach to our primary markets,” said Elliott Falcione, Executive Director of the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “I am excited that we are philosophically aligned with Visit Sarasota to be able to move forward with this partnership for the greater good of our region.”

Paired with the “Florida’s West Coast” campaign, VSC will lean into $500,000 in matching funds from VISIT FLORIDA to drive awareness and engagement to new custom content solely focusing on Sarasota County. These media efforts will take place through June 2025.

All these efforts will complement VSC’s ongoing “Support the 941” initiative, which invites local businesses to share special deals and events on supportthe941.com. Locals are encouraged to post about their experiences on social media using #SupportThe941.