Sarasota unrolling new agent program
The Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau will soon unroll a new “preferred travel agent program,” according to Virginia Haley, executive director.
“It’ll be a simple online form asking agents to stock our collateral, review our information on our Web site and accept some of our posters,” she said.
Traditionally, the Florida area has dealt mainly with agents from the Midwest, New York and New England.
“We also have a lot of support from the Carolinas and even in Florida,” she said.
Participating agents will be listed on the Sarasota Web site.
The destination has a high level of agent activity for various reasons.
“We get a lot of agent-directed traffic because our clientele is fairly sophisticated. We tend to have visitors who value personalized service,” said Ms Haley.
The main attraction of the area continues to be its beaches, but it also has a strong cultural following.
Peak visitation months are February and March. July is also a popular month.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in family vacations. Our UK visitors tend to do a week in Orlando and then a week with us,” said Ms Haley.
Orlando is about a two hour drive away.
Ms Haley recommends early January as among peak visitation times because of the balmy weather; prices also tend to be lower in the first part of the month.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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