Sarasota News Leader
August 2, 2013
Leader on July 31 — "especially since last
year was record-breaking and we beat last
year." As predicted, she added, the Pan-Am
Masters Swimming Championship "gave us a
real boost," along with the heavy marketing
her staff did this year in the Northeast.
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and that figure was followed closely by a 9
percent increase in Canadian tourists.
During the July 2 meeting of the Siesta Key
Village Association, Sgt. Scott Osborne, leader
of the Sheriff's Office's Community Policing
Station on Siesta Key, remarked on how busy
According to the preliminary data, the county the public beach has been. "It's not slowing
saw 6.6 percent more tourists in June this year down like a typical summer," he said. "More
than it did in the same month in 2012. The ho- and more people are coming."
tel/motel occupancy rate was up 4.4 percent, After that meeting, Russell Matthes, co-ownroom rates were 5.6 percent higher, the reve- er of the Daiquiri Deck Raw Bars on Siesta,
nue per available room was up 11.6 percent, St. Armands and the island of Venice, told
and the number of room nights increased 5.5 the News Leader his summer business was
up about 5 percent over 2012 at that point.
percent.
He and Bob Kirscher, co-owner of The BroAs for the tourists themselves: The county ken Egg restaurants on Siesta and Clark Road
saw a 12.1 percent surge in people heading and in Lakewood Ranch, had compared notes
here from Europe. The total from the Midwest earlier, with Kirscher reporting similar news,
was 9.4 percent higher in June, year-over-year, Matthes added.
A Premier Sotheby's sign indicates a home for sale just outside downtown Sarasota. Photo by Rachel Hackney
