From the Panhandle to Sanibel Island, Fort Myers Gulf Coast accomadations are trying to reassure wary tourists with a simple promise: If BP oil slimes our beach, you don’t have to pay.

More than 200 hotels, motels and Vacation Home rental firms on Florida’s west coast are covered by some sort of oil-related policy through the end of July. They carry names such as the Natural Beach Guarantee, the 100% Oil Spill Guarantee and the Zero-Risk Vacation Guarantee.

Details vary widely. The deal for 28 properties promoted on the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention and Visitors Bureau website promises a free first-night stay if customers “arrive to find our pristine beaches affected by the oil spill in any way.”

Click for Full Article

From the Panhandle to Fort Myers, Gulf Coast Accomadations are trying to reassure wary tourists with a simple promise: If BP oil slimes our beach, you don't have to pay.

In May, the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) once again participated in International Pow Wow, hosted by the United States Travel Association (USTA) in Orlando. More than 5,000 people attended the trade show, an increase of 5 percent over last year’s attendance.

The five-day event is the travel industry’s premier international marketplace, where buyers and sellers are able to conduct business that otherwise would be generated only through an exhaustive number of around-the-world trips. It is the largest generator of Visit USA travel.

Lee County Commissioner and Tourist Development Council Chairwoman Tammy Hall, Lee County Manager Karen Hawes, VCB Executive Director Tamara Pigott and other VCB staff members attended Pow Wow to market Lee County. Several industry partners joined them, including representatives of Universal Vacations, Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa, Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa and Outrigger Beach Resort. Olympian Nick VandenBrekel assisted the group in promoting the new Art of the Olympians Museum and Gallery in Fort Myers.

More than 1,000 U.S. travel organizations and nearly 1,500 international and domestic travel buyers from more than 70 countries participate in Pow Wow each year. An estimated $4 billion in sales were generated during the event.

 Click for Press Release Article                                                                                                                                                                

 Click for full article

Universal Vacations Fort Myers delegates Gary Young and Keith Watson meet with UK based Tour Operator Martin Gold at the International PowWow in Orlando

The U.K is the #1 U.S. inbound market and last year, some 4.2 million travelers from the United Kingdom visited the United States, spending more than $13.3 billion, or $3,200 per person. Two thirds of the U.K. visitors came to the U.S. on vacation and one third used a travel agency as an information source to plan the trip. (Source: ITA-Office of Travel & Tourism Industries)

Two thirds of the U.K. visitors came to the U.S. on vacation and one third used a travel agency as an information source to plan the trip

U.S. Travel Association’s International Pow Wow is the travel industry’s premier international marketplace and the largest generator of Visit USA travel – it is NOT a typical trade show. In just three days of intensive pre-scheduled business appointments, more than 1,000 U.S. travel organizations from every region of the USA (representing all industry category components), and close to 1,500 International and Domestic Buyers from more than 70 countries, conduct business negotiations that result in the generation of over $3.5 billion in future Visit USA travel. At International Pow Wow, buyers and sellers are able to conduct business that would otherwise be generated only through an exhaustive number of around-the-world trips

Click here for full Article

Delegates from Lee County included – Lee County VCB – Universal Vacations – Pink Shell Resort – Diamondhead Resort – Outrigger – Sanibel Resort & Spa Representatives for Lee County from the UK and Germany

The Annual Salute to Travel and Tourism in America

The first full week of May is annually recognized as National Travel and Tourism Week, a tradition first celebrated in 1984. Localized events are presented in cities, states and travel businesses nationwide to champion the power of travel. It was established as National Tourism Week when the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution in 1983 designating the week to be celebrated in May. In a White House ceremony, President Ronald Reagan signed a Presidential Proclamation urging citizens to observe the week with “the appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

Since its establishment, the U.S. travel community has collectively marked the event in a number of creative ways, from staging local rallies and conducting media outreach to securing proclamations and resolutions from local legislative bodies.