VCB Email News Network
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Week of May 7, 2012 VCB NEWS During the month of March 2012, The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel hosted 592,232 visitors, who spent about $431.8 million, Davidson-Peterson Associates reported this week to the Lee County Tourist Development Council (TDC). Total visitation rose 7.8 percent from March 2011; expenditures increased by 3 percent. Year-to-date, visitation numbers showed a 2.8 percent increase. Contacts: Tamara Pigott (TPigott@leegov.com) and Nancy Hamilton (NHamilton@leegov.com), 239-338-3500, www.leevcb.com.
The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) kicked off National Travel and Tourism Week with the first Team Tourism Travel Rally Day on May 8 at the newly opened jetBlue Park. The free event, produced in support of the U.S. Travel Association, demonstrated travel's impact on local workers, businesses, and the economy and celebrated the importance of professionals in the travel and hospitality industry. Contacts: Tamara Pigott (TPigott@leegov.com) and Nancy Hamilton (NHamilton@leegov.com), 239-338-3500, www.leevcb.com. Five million viewers nationwide learned about Sanibel Island's famous shelling on CBS Sunday Morning TV program on April 22, 2012. Emmy Award-winning TV journalist and humorist Bill Geist visited Sanibel Island in March to tape the segment for the highly-rated news program. Contacts: Tamara Pigott (TPigott@leegov.com) and Nancy Hamilton (NHamilton@leegov.com), 239-338-3500, www.FortMyersSanibel.com. The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) has launched its Unchartered Summer promotion, offering visitors a chance to explore the adventurous side of the area's unspoiled natural attractions. Visitors will be reminded that the summer months are a good time to visit while the beaches are less crowded, the pace is slower, and deals and special rates are more plentiful. Contacts: Tamara Pigott (TPigott@leegov.com) and Nancy Hamilton (NHamilton@leegov.com), 239-338-3500, www.FortMyersSanibel.com. The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) welcomes Administrative Assistant Amanda Auer to its staff. Auer will assist with visitor inquiries and research projects, working closely with the public and various government agencies. In her previous position as a baccalaureate specialist at Edison State College, Auer developed relationships with the community through processing admission applications, responding to student inquiries, and communicating with faculty and staff. Tamara Pigott (TPigott@leegov.com) and Nancy Hamilton (NHamilton@leegov.com), 239-338-3500, www.leevcb.com. TRANSPORTATION NEWS During March 2012, 1,024,221 passengers traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers, a decrease of 4.6 percent compared to March 2011. Year-to-date, passenger traffic is down 3.1 percent from the same period last year. Contact: Victoria B. Moreland (vbmoreland@ flylcpa.com), 239-590-4504, www.flylcpa.com. ATTRACTIONS NEWS The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation (RRF) announced the first creative director of its Captiva Island-based artist residency program -- Jason Kalajainen, former executive director of the Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists’ Residency in Michigan. The inaugural RRF artist residency will take place at the late artist’s 26-acre property on Captiva in 2013. The Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers has teamed up with Captiva Cruises and the Royal Palm Yacht Club in Fort Myers to offer short cruises of the Caloosahatchee River, tours of the Estates, and lunch at the Royal Palm Yacht Club. The new package program will be available throughout the day every Wednesday and Thursday and on other days for prescheduled groups with reservations. Contact: Lisa Sbuttoni (lsbuttoni@edisonfordwinterestates.org), 239-334-7419, www.edisonfordwinterestates.org. Two attractions recently received state funding for major projects. The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in downtown Fort Myers received $650,000 to complete renovation of its three-story building, which currently only has the first floor open to the public. The Mound House on Fort Myers Beach received $445,000 to help renovate the building as a multidimensional museum. Contacts: Sally Joslyn sally.sbdac@gmail.com, 239-333-1933, www.sbdac.com; Sarah Desquesnes (moundhouse@fortmyersbeachfl.gov), 239-765-0865, www.moundhouse.org. Summer Matlacha Historic Walking Tours on Pine Island begin each Friday at 8 a.m. and last 45 to 60 minutes. Individual walk-ins are welcome. Groups should call ahead. Contact: Leoma Lovegrove (leomalovegrove@gmail.com), 239-822-4109, www.leomalovegrove.com. The Museum of History in Fort Myers kicked off a year-long celebration of its 30th anniversary last month with a weekend of historic prices and happenings. The museum’s calendar year is filled with diverse exhibit offerings, escorted day trips, downtown walking tours, and quarterly Author’s Evenings to celebrate the occasion. Contact: Helena Finnegan (Hfinnegan@cityftmyers.com), 239-321-7409, www.swflmuseumofhistory.com. The Be the Dinosaur! interactive exhibit returns to the Imaginarium Science Center in Fort Myers June 8 through Sept. 3. Visitors can learn about dinosaurs that once roamed -- their habitat, diet, and predators. A simulator, paleontology field station, Dinosaur Safari Jeep, and a 3-D Cretaceous landscape are all part of the exhibit. Contact: Helena Finnegan (Hfinnegan@cityftmyers.com), 239-321-7409, www.i-sci.org. The Southwest Florida Yachts charter fleet in North Fort Myers has a new power cruiser named Lucy – a spacious Custom Cat 45 that accommodates up to eight adults with four double cabins and two heads with walk-in showers. It has a large salon where passengers can relax around a U-shaped settee and listen to music or watch high-def movies on a flat screen TV with a surround-sound speaker system. Contact: Bill AuCoin (wmaucoin@verizon.net), 727-522-2371, www.swfyachts.com. DINING & RETAIL Grace and Shelly Cupcakes recently opened a shop at Coconut Point shopping center in Estero. The store sells a variety of flavored cupcakes including raspberry lemon, grasshopper, banana, and peanut butter and jelly. Delivery and catering services are available. This is the second of the Florida-based brand’s shops in the county; the other is located at Bell Tower Shops. Contact: info@graceandshellyscupcakes.com, 239-415-0300, www.graceandshellyscupcakes.com. Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers has welcomed three new restaurants in recent months: Connors Steak & Seafood, The Keys Bar & Grill, and Olive Garden. Contact: Nancy Greene (ngreene@brandonadvertising.com), 843-916-2000, www.rejacobsgroup.com. SPECIAL EVENTS Lee County Parks & Recreation is offering free parking at many of its sites on May 13, 2012, to commemorate the county’s 125th anniversary. The department is also launching an online quiz that could land a few lucky winners prizes and year-round free access to parks and preserves. Visit www.lee-county.com/125th for a schedule of events throughout 2012 as well as a recommended reading list, a historical photo gallery, trivia questions, and more. Contact: Betsy Clayton (bclayton@leegov.com), 239-533-7474, www.leeparks.org. The Captiva Triathlon offers a weekend family, fun, and fitness event comprised of two children’s triathlons on Sept. 15 and an adult sprint-length triathlon on Sept. 16 All events will take place at South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island. Contact: Melinda Isley, (mcreative@embarqmail.com), 239-274-7736,www.captivatri.com. Upcoming major events/festivals: (For details, access the online calendar at: www.FortMyersSanibel.com.) JUNE
Through June 23, 2012
June 1, 2012
June 15, 2012
June 17, 2012
June 24, 2012
June 28-Aug. 18, 2012
June 30, 2012 JULY
June 28-Aug. 18, 2012
July 4, 2012
July 4, 2012
July 4, 2012
July 4, 2012
July 4, 2012
July 6, 2012
July 6-Aug. 4, 2012
July 6-28, 2012
July 20, 2012
July 21-22, 2012 For details about any of the above news items, contact the Communications Department, Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau:
Nancy Hamilton/
NHamilton@leegov.com
or call us at 800-237-6444/239-338-3500. For immediate general
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