Lee VCB announces industry news
Islands FallFest promotion aims to lure visitors to destination
The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel will host the destination’s fourth annual Islands FallFest from September through November 2011, and the VCB has begun marketing the opportunity to potential visitors. The promotion combines annual events and festivals with special rates and value-added deals for visitors to our area. The fall offers travelers a host of benefits, including smaller crowds, cooler weather and stone crab season, which begins Oct. 15. An eco festival and a paddling festival celebrate the area’s natural resources. Eight accommodations in Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island are offering travelers FallFest deals, and visitors can pair the deals with discounts at area attractions and attendance at fall events. A complete listing of events, offers and packages is available at www.IslandsFallFest.com.
E-awards to celebrate hospitality service
The VCB invites industry partners and business leaders to join the Tourist Development Council in celebrating the 2011 Elaine McLaughlin Outstanding Hospitality Service Awards. The VCB received more than 400 nominations in acknowledgement of the incredible customer service provided to visitors while vacationing on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel. Nominees will be recognized for extraordinary customer service professionalism on Sept. 14, from 8-10 a.m. at Harborside Event Center in the Fort Myers River District.
Airport traffic decreases in June
During June, 473,332 passengers traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport, a decrease of 0.7 percent compared to June 2010. Year-to-date, passenger traffic is up 5.4 percent from the same period last year. The traffic leader in June was Delta with 107,105 passengers traveling to and from Fort Myers. Rounding out the top five airlines were AirTran (80,994), Southwest (73,965), JetBlue (47,389) and US Airways (45,297).
Neighboring beaches ranked in TripAdvisor
Sanibel and Captiva islands both ranked impressively high in TripAdvisor’s inaugural 2011 Travelers’ Choice Beach awards. In the “Top 25 Beaches in the World” category, Sanibel Island ranked No. 16. On the “Top 25 Beaches in the United States” list, Sanibel Island was rated No. 6 and Captiva Island came in at No. 8. TripAdvisor, one of the world’s largest travel websites, recently surveyed more than 2,100 U.S. respondents. The Travelers’ Choice awards are based on real and unbiased reviews and opinions from worldwide travelers.