The fastest growing metropolitan area in the country is seeing tourism grow with it. Indicators such as an increase in passes issued by the Villages Parks and Recreation Department and counties collecting record resort taxes show how the Villages and surrounding areas are becoming more popular with foreign tourists. The Villages are already an established tourist destination, offering popular events that draw large crowds, such as the Villages Balloon Festival at the Villages Polo Club. But the destinations surrounding The Villages also attract tourists. Tourism is rebounding due to strong pent-up demand, and revenge travel is a trend, said Kathy Pagan, acting director of the Visit Lake office. Many travelers have had to give up vacation travel over the past couple of years, so they are determined to travel this year to make up for that loss.
Upward trend in tourism indicators
These vacations are happening now and more and more people are choosing to stay at hotels in the three counties.
Hoteliers in Sumter, Lake and Marion counties reported higher occupancy, average daily rates and revenue in the first three months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, according to STR, a global data and hotel analytics.
In fact, Sumter and the Lakes occupancy rates for March 2022, 83.8% in Sumter and 86.3% in Lake, exceeded the state average of 81.5% for the month, according to STR. .
Tri-county hotel revenues for the first quarter of 2022 totaled $69 million, $9.3 million in Sumter, $22.7 million in Lake and $37 million in Marion, nearly double the revenue generated last year.
Occupancy in the Villages and Sumter County has never been higher. Before Central Florida tourism resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic, Sumters hotel occupancy rates rarely reached 70% or more, said Jan Freitag, national director of hotel analytics for the group. CoStar, the parent company of STR.
The number of guest passes issued by The Villages is also up and nearly doubled from 2021 in February. The Villages issued 236,700 guest passes in the 2020-21 fiscal year, compared to 200,900 issued in 2019-20, said Bill Skidmore, staff coordinator for the Villages Recreation and Parks Department.
Although guest pass data for March 2022 has yet to be released, March is typically the busiest month of the year for guest pass issuance, according to Kacie Linton, director assistant to the village recreation and parks department.
Spring break travel drives much of this interest, further aided by the presence of special events such as the Villages Balloon Festival and St. Patrick’s Day festivals at Lake Sumter Landing and Spanish Springs.
Travel to and from The Villages is lively, as indicated by interest in the Workman Transportation and Travels shuttle service between Orlando International Airport and the town squares of Brownwood and Lake Sumter Landing.
We’ve been very busy, said Emily Workman Crismore, marketing director for Workman Transportation.
That’s a marked improvement from 2021, when COVID-19 remained a factor and the delta variant stifled a summer recovery.
Not just villages
While The Villages is a key tourism and economic driver for the Tri-County area, it’s not the only one.
Lake and Marion counties, the two counties in the region that collect tourism development taxes on short-term accommodations, are seeing record growth. Sumter County repealed its Tourism Development Tax in 2020.
Lake County’s tourism development tax collections in fiscal year 2020-21 were approximately $3.7 million, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The second-best year for revenue in the past five years was 2017-18, when Lake County raised $3.4 million.
Ecotourism, sports, special events and festivals. Mount Dora is a primary hub for the latter and is among Lake County’s top attractions, said Pagan of the Office of Visit Lake.
We are proud to call Lake County home and to share our beautiful destination with our guests,” she said. We know we have a lot to offer and are inspired to promote our tourism partners and enhance our quality of life, which translates into economic benefits for all of Lake County.
Marions resort fees for 2020-21, which totaled $3.6 million, also surpassed a pre-pandemic high of $3 million in 2017-18.
And according to information released Tuesday, the Marion County Tourism Development Board had its best month ever for resort tax collections. February 2022 revenue totaled nearly $525,000, a 46% increase from February 2021.
County staff assigned special events attracting out-of-state visitors primarily centered around equestrian tourism’s cherished regions, including the HITS Ocala Winter Tour, Grandview Invitational, World Equestrian Centers Winter Spectacular, and Ocala Shrine Rodeo.
Restaurants and ecotourism at springs in the county are other common tourist draws, said Jessica Heller, spokesperson for Marion County tourism development.
Marion County’s support of local destination marketing efforts and the cooperation of tourism industry partners and truly hospitable residents have encouraged the growth of regional tourism, said Loretta Shaffer, director of tourism development for the Visitors Bureau. and Ocala/Marion County Conventions, in a statement.
We’re thrilled that travel is not just back for our area, but stronger than ever… The future of Marion County looks bright and we look forward to introducing our beautiful destination to travelers around the world, she said.
How villagers contribute
Evidence shows that villagers and their guests help boost regional tourism by exploring what the surrounding communities have to offer.
Some embark on day trips from travel agencies catering to villagers. Workman Transportation, The Villages airport shuttle service, also arranges day trips to destinations of interest in Central Florida.
Upcoming trips Workman is hosting in the tri-county area include a Silver Springs glass-bottom boat tour as well as lunch in downtown Ocala, two sold-out trips to the Ocala World Equestrian Center , a 4th of July fireworks boat cruise in Mount Dora and a tour of Grandview Clydesdales in Dunnellon.
These trips are attractive for having the chance to explore Florida without worrying about trip planning and the inconvenience of traffic and parking, Crismore said.
Mount Dora, Lake County’s event hub, is always popular among villagers and their guests because parking can be difficult or impossible when events and festivals are held downtown, he said. she stated. Workman offered bus trips to the Mount Dora Arts Festival in February and is scheduled to take a bus to the Mount Dora Christmas Walk on December 2.
Another benefit is the social component involved in group travel, Crismore said.
Florida has so much to offer, but people hear about these places and they might not be confident enough to drive out and explore. [on their own], she says. So they jump on a bus with more competent people.
Lead writer Michael Salerno can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5369, or michael.salerno@thevillagesmedia.com.
