ANNA MARIA ISLAND – COVID-19 had little impact on tourism to the Island, where one of its three cities enjoyed an increase in visitors, according to tourist tax collections records.
The coronavirus was present on the Island for 10 of the 12 months of 2020, from March through December, according to the Florida Department of Health. Despite national health officials warning against leisure travel, AMI’s 2020 tourist tax receipts totaled $7,268,971, only $14,236 less than 2019’s receipts of $7,283,207, or a drop of less than 1%.
Two of the Island’s three cities saw a similarly small decrease in tourist tax collections, while visitation to one city increased, according to the Manatee County Tax Collector’s office, which collects the county’s 5% tourist tax from owners of accommodations who rent them for six months or less, mostly to tourists.
Holmes Beach collections reflect a $268,432 increase from 2019 to 2020, from $3,730,350 to $3,998,782, a 7% increase.
Decreases in the other two cities were slight, with Anna Maria collections decreasing from $2,331,786 in 2019 to $2,261,156 in 2020, a 3% drop, and Bradenton Beach collections decreasing from $1,221,071 in 2019 to $1,009,033 in 2020, a 2% drop.
“I am not surprised,” said Manatee County Commissioner and former Tourist Development Council Chair Carol Whitmore, a resident of Holmes Beach.
“During the lockdown, it appeared many decided to stay on the Island due to the thoughts of a decreased risk of contamination with open beaches, etc. My family quarantined and stayed in a rental for a month on the Island. They stayed in the rental, ate at home or delivery to stay safe. I have been surprised where the islands have not been slow where the rest of the county has been impacted by COVID. Also, with most of the Island still pushing very strong for mask wearing, it makes many feel and stay safe when visiting.”
“The lower-than-expected drop in tax collections is a testament to the importance of having a strong brand in the marketplace, which the Bradenton Area has worked to maintain for years,” said Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione, the county’s chief marketing official.
“When your brand is strong, it will continue to resonate during times of adversity. In addition, the Bradenton Area – and Anna Maria Island specifically – benefited tremendously from having attributes that make it a safer choice for travel than many of its coastal competitors, including less density, varied accommodations and a wide variety of outdoor offerings,” he said.
Anna Maria Island
2020 tourist tax collections
City Change from 2019
Anna Maria down 3%
Bradenton Beach down 2%
Holmes Beach up 7%
Anna Maria Island
(total) down 1%
Source: Manatee County Tax Collector
“The destination is also fortunate to partner with Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, which expertly navigated the challenges presented this past year, continuing to secure new routes and carriers that drive first-time visitation,” Falcione said. “I would be remiss if I didn’t also attribute the minimal decrease to the efforts of our short-term rental managers who continue to excel at marketing their product and focusing on visitor health and safety.”
While the tourist tax reflects visitors who rented accommodations, not accounting for visitors who stayed with local family or friends, it is routinely used by tourism officials as a reliable indicator of the health of the local tourism economy.
Tampa-based Research Data Services, the county’s tourism consultant, has long cited the statistics as a marker of economic change, extrapolating that as the tourist accommodations market goes, so go other segments of the local economy, including restaurants and retail stores, as they depend largely on visitors staying at local accommodations.
