Tourist Development Council Gets Upbeat Report

ANA MARIA ISLAND -- At Monday's TDC Meeting, Walter Klages, President and CEO of Research Data Services, delivered an uplifting report on who has come to the Bradenton area to visit and live, and how much that contributes to the local economy.

Klages said that the disparity between 2013 and 2014 was occupancy growing at 6.2 percent, while the average daily rate grew by 3.5 percent. 

The revenue per room grew by 10 percent from 2013, and room nights grew by 5.8 percent, creating what Klages said is a 13.7 percent increase in economic impact.

The origin from which visitors leave to visit the area are mostly within the state of Florida, and Klages said that Europe is second, just ahead of the Northeast and Southeast U.S. -- all up in numbers from 2013. 

There had been some mention to the traffic going to the island and beaches; and in Klages's windup he said, "If you travel world wide, such as Spain, to a beach destination, it isn't a problem to sit in your car for 2 1/2 hours trying to just get to a dirty beach -- an over-crowded beach -- and be served at a really rotten restaurant," adding, "not true here, not true here."