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That quarter continued "to show good increases in the number of visitors and even stronger growth in their spending," Visit Sarasota County President Virginia Haley wrote. "We saw a dip in European visitation which would be expected because our lodg- ing businesses are reducing the inventory available for discount or value tour operators, instead focusing on higher income producing operators," Haley added. The average daily occupancy rate for hotels/ motels/condos in January was up 6.5 percent over the same month in 2013; it increased 7.1 percent for February of this year compared to February 2013; and it was up 7.8 percent month-over-month for March, according to the figures Visit Sarasota County provided. Direct spending was up 9.37 percent for the first half of this year in comparison to the first two quarters of the 2013 fiscal year, with the FY 2014 total at $511,392,600 from Oct. 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014. Regarding visitor originations for the sec- ond quarter of this fiscal year, the Midwest As of April 30, Siesta Key continued to hold the lead for the amount of Tourist Development Tax revenue collected during the current fiscal year. Image courtesy Tax Collector's Office Sarasota News Leader May 16, 2014 Page 64