TDC backs county marketing plan for 2025'26; seeks budget packaging with two-year county request

Elliot Falcone, Manatee County tourism director, presented the county's marketing and promotions approach for 2025'26 and asked the Tourist Development Council to recommend that the plan be packaged with the county's department budget for approval in the September county budget process.

Falcone described a two-year county budget process and said the tourism team keeps campaign tactics broad in public presentations to avoid revealing tactical playbooks to competing destinations. He noted the county is targeting higher-income households (roughly $122,000 household income threshold used for digital buys), focusing on established feeder markets (New York, Pittsburgh) and developing secondary markets supported by the growing Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ).

Falcone highlighted recent air-service gains, including a new daily nonstop to Miami (SRQ) starting Nov. 1, and said targeted digital and public-relations campaigns are being used to penetrate new feeder markets that are immature for the destination. He emphasized the importance of maintaining marketing during and after adverse events; the county's early markets work helped correct inaccurate national reporting after last year's storms and mitigated a sharper visitation decline. Falcone said first-time visitors account for roughly 34'35% of arrivals, a performance metric the department tracks.

The TDC voted unanimously to recommend that the marketing and promotions budget be packaged with the department budget for Board of County Commissioners consideration as part of the two-year budget process. Falcone and TDC members said they will continue to monitor air service, market performance and return-on-investment metrics as the budget moves to the Board.