Clearwater's tourism remains strong with more overseas guests
By ALEXANDRA CALDWELL
Article published on Tuesday, April 8, 2008  |
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| Photo by ALEXANDRA CALDWELL |
| Pelicans watch a crowded Clearwater Beach near Pier 60 on April 2. |
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CLEARWATER – Despite high gas prices and a shaky economy, Clearwater’s tourism is strong.
Spring has been busy, especially on the beaches, said Kevin Gartland, interim president of the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“The travel industry is a little different than the general economy,” Gartland said. “While some segments of travel is down, others are up. With the dollar overseas being down, we’re seeing lots of tourists from Canada and Europe, so that helps stabilize our economy.”
Through March, the hotel occupancy rate has been around 90 percent, Gartland said.
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites on Gulfview Road on Clearwater Beach, for instance, is in its best year yet, said Claudia Huber, director of sales and marketing for the hotel. She, too, has noticed more Canadians and Europeans.
“The European clients and UK clients tend to have a longer stay,” Huber said. “Their average stay is five to seven nights, whereas our domestic visitors are two to four nights.”
The spring season from February through April is generally the busiest time of year, Huber said, but there’s another rush in June and July. To counterbalance the anticipated high gas prices this summer, Huber said the hotel is playing with possible incentives.
“We may see a little downturn in the summer, and that’s what we’re anticipating, so we’re putting some special programs and packages into place to counteract the gas prices,” Huber said. “Offering gasoline vouchers, offering value – adds to our room rates.”
According to records at Pier 60’s visitor center on Clearwater Beach, there were 50 percent more visitors this February over the same time last year, said Paul Dalton, manager of the visitor center. February brought in nearly 8,000 people, and March was up 3 percent this year with about 9,500 people.
Dalton agrees that there are more visitors from Canada and overseas, including more French Canadians, Swedes and Brazilians. Day trippers are also up, he said, as people stay closer to home to counteract gas prices. Many people come in from Orlando, Florida’s east coast and Atlanta, he said.
Still, there are plenty of people who have to escape the cold this time of year, including Beth Vanerp’s family from Badaxe, Mich.
“The weather,” Vanerp said. “You just get really sick of the cold. It’s been a real long winter.”
The Vanerp family usually vacations on Florida’s east coast but chose Clearwater this year because their oldest son, Peter, 19, just joined the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
Tom Leonard, marine facility operator for the city of Clearwater at Pier 60, said he’s seen people from all over the world this season, including Norway, Denmark, Russia, Poland, Slovenia, China and Finland. He believes tourism is as least as good as he’s seen it in others years.
Meanwhile, business has been brisk elsewhere along the beaches.
Tony Satterfield, general manager of the Alden Beach Resort on St. Pete Beach, said that after a weak January, occupancy was much stronger in February than in February 2007 at his 143-room hotel.
“March was phenomonenal,” Satterfield said.
Generally, when Easter falls early during the year, February and March are busier for his hotel, he said, but April tends to be weak.
However, April is turning out to be a good month, he said.
“All this is surprising based on the bad economic news,” Satterfield said.
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Article published on Tuesday, April 8, 2008
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