Sarasota News Leader

12/21/2012

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Sarasota News Leader December 21, 2012 Page 26 ���We had really good numbers, too, from with- ���We didn���t seem to experience that,��� he said. in Florida,��� Haley said. However, Siesta possesses an almost unique quality as a tourist destination, he pointed out: October and November traditionally were ���We seem to have a very high percentage of reslow months for the area, Haley pointed out. turning visitors��� every year. After people have However, the Ringling International Arts Fesstayed on the island once, he added, they just tival has become a must-attend event in Ocwant to keep coming back. tober. This year it was followed by the Rev3 Triathlon in Venice, the Sarasota Chalk Festival, the Siesta Key Crystal Classic Master Sand Sculpting Competition and the Sarasota Medieval Fair. The fair was spread over two November weekends. ���All of that really starts to add up,��� she pointed out. Cheryl Gaddie, co-chairwoman of the Crystal Classic, told members of the Siesta Key Village Association this month that that event drew about 33,000 people, approximately the same number as in 2011. Reflecting on the tourism figures, Haley told the News Leader, ���I think we���re being a lot more sophisticated with the marketing.��� She added that Visit Sarasota County has been working on campaigns to target specific groups of people, from art lovers to those interested in ecotourism. ���I think that���s really made a difference,��� she said. Kevin Cooper, executive director of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, told the News Leader on Dec. 20 his organization had been told to expect a drop of about 15 percent to 20 percent in tourism once the flow of publicity had ebbed over the naming of Siesta Public Beach as No. 1 in the United States. That announcement came at the start of Memorial Day weekend in 2011. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is just one of the Sarasota attractions mentioned in a recent New York Times travel article. Photo by Norman Schimmel

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