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Tourism Information from Naples Marco Island Everglades CVB

News from Naples Marco Island Everglades Visitors Bureau!

Some good news from our marketing partners at the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. Frontier will be adding six new routes from Fort Myers that will begin this November. The new flights from Fort Myers include Albany (New York); Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland (Maine), Salt Lake City, and Syracuse (New York) will begin this November.

We are most appreciative to VISIT FLORIDA for awarding the CVB a Henry Award, the top award in the Flagler Awards, for our 2017 Paradise Coast Tourism Star Awards program graphics, video and related promotional items in the category Tourism Advocacy. We also received a Silver Flagler Award for our meetings video that Debi DeBenedetto uses all over the country to promote our destination in the very competitive group meetings market.

Specialty Markets

Specialty Markets is preparing to attend the RTO Summit Oct 24th 25th.  This is a Receptive Tour Operator show in Orlando FL. Orlando now is home to over 120 receptive companies most of which service Latin American markets, Europe and increasingly, Asia and Middle East.

 

The next tradeshow for destination weddings will be November 11th – 13th for The Association of Bridal Consultants, 2018 Annual Conference – World of Weddings in Tampa Bay. Michelle Pirre with our Special Markets Sales team will be sending registration information out in the beginning of October. ABC is the largest group of wedding planners in the world. 4,000 members in all 50 states and 31 countries.

 

For the LGBTQ market, Michelle plans on attending IGLTA along with NGLCC and Connect Diversity this year. The CVB will be spreading the word on all that Paradise Coast has to offer the LGBTQ Traveler including friendly hotels and resorts, attractions, dining, arts & culture scene.

 

Partnering up with some of these businesses is encouraged, as people are traveling from as far up as Charlotte County to attend these events due to LGBTQ nightlife being so limited up and down the Gulf Coast. If you are interested in hosting an event, or partnering up with businesses that are having events, please contact Michelle.pirre@colliercountyfl.gov to get connected.

 

VISITOR STATISTICS

To stay up-to-date on current visitor statistics, a monthly report can be found on ParadiseCoast.com. Reports include statistics relating to number of visitors per month, markets of origin, activities enjoyed, party size and much more.

 

The complete August Visitation Report can be found here: August Visitation Report.

Paradise Coast in the News

As a result of CVB efforts, below is a sampling of stories spotlighting the destination in 2018:

·     As a result of media outreach, Reader’s Digest included the destination in an article entitled “12 Beautiful Beachfront Hotels You Can Actually Afford” on August 28.

·     As a result of media outreach, Travel Channel featured Naples and Marco Island in an article entitled, “20+ Great Resorts for Getaways With Your Puppers” on August 23.

·     As a result of pitching, YourTango.com featured the destination in a story on affordable and fun spring break destinations on September 14.

·     As a result of a CVB submission, Meetings Today included a Case Study feature on Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB involvement in hosting the Florida Attractions Association annual meeting.

The CVB drafted the following press releases:

·     New Sports Development Manager Jeffrey John Joins CVB

·     Florida’s Paradise Coast Has Plenty That’s New for 2018-2019

The CVB is working on the following projects:

·     Hosted social media influencer Charles McCool in mid-September. Charles produced content on his social platforms and will be contributing editorial to ParadiseCoast.com.

·     NYC Visit Florida Event: PR & Communication Manager JoNell Modys will travel to New York in October to attend Visit Florida’s NYC Media and Consumer events. Chef Asif Syed from 21 Spices will be joining as an official “Local Voice” to interact with guests at the event. Chef recently beat Celebrity-Chef Bobby Flay on the Food Network show, “Best Bobby Flay.”

 

Awards & Accolades

The CVB team has recently been honored with multiple awards:

·     VISIT FLORIDA Henry Award (Best in Category) – Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB for Tourism Advocacy for the 2017 ‘Put Paradise On the Map Tourism Awards.’

·     VISIT FLORIDA Silver Flagler Award – Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB for ‘Dear Meeting Planner’ Video

·     Florida Outdoor Writers Association – 2nd Place Corporate/Tourism Self-Promotion for Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB’s ‘Glide Through Everglades on a Pole Boat’ video

·     Florida Outdoor Writers Association – 3rd Place Corporate/Tourism Self-Promotion for Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB’s ‘Paradise Coast is Clear’ video

·     Prevue Magazine 2018 Visionary Awards, Silver – Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB, Best CVB/DMO Planner Support, Southeast USA

·     Smart Meetings Platinum Award – Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB

·     U.S. Travel Association Destiny Award – Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB for Best Destination Social Media Campaign for Hurricane Irma Organic Facebook Response.

·     Florida Sports Foundation / Florida Recreation & Parks Association – Excellence in Sport Tourism Small Sport Market Award

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