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Clearwater Beach’s Sugar Sand Festival Becomes ‘World-Class Art Exhibit’

Now in its sixth year, the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival on Clearwater Beach has long been the passion project of organizer Lisa Chandler.

This year, 11 sculptors from all over the world — including Japan, Mexico, and the Netherlands — are showing off their artistic skills by taking the 1,000 pounds of fine-grained white sand and turning it into elaborate structures ranging from famous faces and animals to historic landmarks.

“We’ve worked really hard to promote this to those in the Tampa Bay area,” Chandler said. Since the festival’s fourth year, she has seen an influx of visitors from Orlando and even farther away. “People are coming from all over the United States,” she said. “It’s really about marketing the destination.”

Clearwater Beach has already been hailed as the No. 1 beach in the country and No. 7 in the world by travel website, TripAdvisor. Condé Nast Traveler also recently named Clearwater Beach to its list of the 15 best beaches in Florida this year.

The festival is “really to showcase what we consider to be our No. 1 asset — the sand,” Chandler said. “We’ve brought it to life in a way that is extremely visual.”

The theme this year is “Sea America: A Celebration of America’s Treasures,” in celebration of monuments around the United States and pop culture. The main attraction of the 10-day festival is the Sugar Sand Walk Exhibit housed inside a 21,000 square-foot tent. “It takes two weeks to build the exhibit,” Chandler said, who noted that Team Sandtastic was commissioned for the job.

Last year, the festival had more than 40,000 visitors to the exhibit itself, while there were 116,000 guests over the 10-day period, Chandler said.

Run by Sunset of Pier 60, a not-for-profit organization, the festival began April 13 and will run through April 22. It was closed on Sunday due to inclement weather. There are several free activities over the course of the festival including free concerts, four nights of fireworks and free sand sculpting classes in which guests can learn from the artists.

Tampa Bay Business Journal

Apr 16, 2018

Florida Breaks Tourism Record for Fifth Consecutive Year

Tourism Record

Florida welcomed 105 million visitors last year, making 2015 the fifth consecutive year where tourism records were broken.

The new record exceeded the previous high of 98.5 million in 2014 by 6.6 percent, according to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion arm.

The total number of visitors to the Sunshine State last year exceeded the populations of most of the world’s countries. It was about 3 million more people, for example, than inhabit the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the average number of direct travel-related jobs in 2015 also was a record high, with 1,199,200 Floridians employed in the tourism industry, up 4.7 percent compared with the same period last year.

“Tourism plays an important role in supporting our economy, and we will continue to make strategic investments in the tourism industry to keep Florida on track to becoming first for jobs,” said Gov. Rick Scott, who revealed the preliminary tourist count Thursday at Walt Disney World in Orlando. “With five consecutive record years for tourism, it is time to set our goal even higher, and I look forward to welcoming 115 million visitors to the Sunshine State this year.”

Visit Florida estimates that a record 89.8 million domestic visitors traveled to Florida in 2015, reflecting an 8 percent increase from 2014. Estimates also show that 11.2 million overseas visitors and 4 million Canadians came to the Sunshine State last year. The number of people boarding planes at 18 Florida airports during 2015 increased 8.2 percent when compared with the previous year, representing a record 6.1 million more passengers than in 2014.

State Collaboration

Five years of record-setting visitation does not happen by accident, said Visit Florida CEO Will Seccombe, who credited the success to the agency’s global marketing strategy that focused on maximizing the economic impact of Florida tourism.

The collaboration with destination marketing organizations and the money the state has continued to pump into Visit Florida has made all the difference, said Elliott Falcione, executive director for Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“You’ve got to thank the Legislature and the governor for believing in Visit Florida,” Falcione said. “It’s now proven four years in a row that as the budget increases that visitation increase.”

In pushing to continue the increases, Scott has asked lawmakers to set aside $79.3 million for Visit Florida in the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The funding would be an increase of $6 million from the current year. The House and Senate have each budgeted $80 million for Visit Florida. Of that money, the House has proposed that $1.8 million go to a contract with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association to craft an in-state tourism campaign. The Senate has pitched $2 million for the marketing contract with the Tallahassee-based hospitality trade association.

Tourism and recreation taxable sales for Florida as a whole increased every month year-over-year from January through November 2015, representing an 8.6 percent increase over the same period in 2014.

The state is aiming to bring in $100 billion in total tourism related spending by 2020.

2015 FLORIDA TOURISM BY THE NUMBERS

Total 2015 Visitors: 105 million, up 6.6%
Total Floridians employed in tourism: 1,199,200, up 4.7%
Domestic visitors: 89.8 million, up 8%
Overseas visitors: 11.2 million
Canadian visitors: 4 million
Number of people boarding planes at 18 Florida airports: 74.3 million, up 8.2%
Taxable sales increase January to November 2015: 8.6%
Average daily room rate increase: 5.9%
Number of rooms sold increase: 4.5%
Average room occupancy rate: 72 percent, up 3.2 percentage points

Source: Visit Florida

Herald Tribune February 18, 2016

Florida Record-Breaking Tourism

The Sunshine State welcomed an estimated 79.1 million visitors during the first nine months of 2015, the most of any such period in Florida’s history.

The nine-month count was a 5.5 percent increase when compared with the same period in 2014.

Gov. Rick Scott has set a goal of drawing more than 100 million tourists to Florida this year, and that now seems within fairly easy reach.

VISIT FLORIDA estimates that 22.1 million domestic visitors traveled to Florida in the third quarter of 2015, reflecting an 8.2 percent increase over the same period last year.

Estimates also show that 3.4 million international visitors came to Florida in quarter three of 2015. Preliminary figures for the first three quarters of 2015 show 67.4 million domestic visitors, 8.3 million overseas visitors and 3.4 million Canadians have come to the Sunshine State.

Will Seccombe, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA, said, “With three record quarters and a fifth consecutive record year on the horizon, it’s clear that this continued growth does not happen by accident. It’s the direct result of a global marketing strategy focused on maximizing the economic impact of Florida tourism.

“Today’s announcement shows tourism marketing works and we have Governor Scott and the Florida Legislature to thank for their unparalleled support that will enable us to reach our goal of generating $100 billion in visitor spending by 2020.”

Tourism and recreation taxable sales for Florida increased year-over-year for January through August 2015 (last reported month), representing an 8.2 percent increase over the same period in 2014.

For quarter three of 2015, the average daily room rate (ADR) rose 5.1 percent, the occupancy rate for Florida hotels increased 3.6 percent and the demand in rooms sold grew 4.8 percent compared to quarter three of 2014.

John Tomlin, Chair of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors, said, “The continued growth of tourism for the third quarter, including a record number of tourism-related jobs, puts Florida on pace for a fifth consecutive record breaking year.

“These records also emphasize the power of tourism as an economic leader and job creator for the state. Outcomes like these are the direct result of the vision and support of the Governor, Legislature and our amazing tourism industry, as well as world-class strategies and execution by the VISIT FLORIDA staff.”

Bill Talbert, Vice Chair of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors and President & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau said, “Florida’s tourism continues to make history with another record-shattering quarter. New and established hotels, attractions, restaurants and hospitality-related businesses are fueling strong industry job growth and increased tax revenues.

Those who enthusiastically welcome and serve our visitors continue to deliver great experiences, contributing to our state’s growing popularity. We are fortunate to have a Governor and Legislature that support our industry and VISIT FLORIDA so that we can share the diverse treasures of our state with the world.”

Florida is fortunate to have the strong support of Governor Scott and the Legislature, as well as funding matched by dollars from great industry partners. This support allows VISIT FLORIDA to reach even more markets and potential visitors with compelling reasons to visit Florida and create memories that last a lifetime.”

Sun Sentinal/Sarasota Herald Tribune November 2015