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Residents to the rescue

Gas prices and security are keeping the number of people coming to the state flat. But those reasons also have people who live here vacationing close to home.

By STEVE HUETTEL
Published August 30, 2006

ST. PETE BEACH — It wasn’t easy for Jayson Siezega  and his family to agree on a summer vacation destination.

They couldn’t find a time that fit everyone’s schedule to drive to Virginia. His wife, Karen Baynes, is a white-knuckle flier. And who would take care of the two dogs at home in St. Petersburg?

Their solution: five days at the TradeWinds Sandpiper Hotel & Suites in St. Pete Beach. “It’s our getaway from home,’’ said Siezega, relaxing at the pool on Tuesday.

During a flat year in tourism, Florida hotels and attractions are cashing in on a boost from in-state visitors.
Leisure trips by Floridians jumped nearly 13 percent from April through June, estimates Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing agency.

In Pinellas County, more than 237,000 Florida residents visited in the first half of 2006, an increase of 10.4 percent from the same period last year. The county hosted a total of 3-million visitors for the year’s first six months, up just 1.1 percent.

Some tourism professionals say high gas prices and rising air fares have Floridians looking for vacations closer to home.

Others suggest Florida residents aren’t spooked by threat of summer hurricanes as much as out-of-state tourists, figuring they can cancel a trip or go somewhere untouched by the storm.

“Floridians understand the vagaries of hurricanes,’’ says Dale Brill, chief marketing officer for Visit Florida. “It’s such a part of our culture and life that the paralyzing stigma isn’t there.’’

Local tourism agencies are launching advertising blitzes to lure visitors from nearby “drive markets’’ going into the traditionally slow season between Labor Day and Thanksgiving.

The Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau and business partners put $1-million into a “Fabulous Fall’’ campaign, said spokeswoman Danielle Courtenay.

A glossy, 16-page insert was delivered inside major Florida newspapers and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this month, promoting hotel deals and events like “Orlando’s Magical Dining Month’’ with fixed-price lunches and dinners at high-end restaurants. The agency will also send out e-mails to 100,000 Florida residents.

“We felt it was important to get out there and generate business ... and the drive market made the most sense,’’ said Courtenay.

The St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau will begin a $260,000 advertising campaign next month with color ads in newspapers in Atlanta, Orlando, Fort Myers, Jacksonville and Lakeland.

So far, the year has proved lackluster for tourism around the state. An estimated 46.2-million visitors came to Florida for the first six months, essentially the same as the first half of last year, estimates Visit Florida.

The Alden Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach reflects the performance of hotels around the state. Occupancy is flat. Room rates are up, providing more revenue but not as much the hotel budgeted, said general manager Anthony Satterfield.

Floridians and visitors from the Southeast “really discovered their own back yard’’ after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he said. But the drive business can be a mixed blessing.

“No doubt that type of business has increased,’’ said Satterfield. “But the downside is that they (stay only) on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays.’’

Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3384.

[Last modified August 30, 2006, 21:12:17]