Should have a great tourist season in Sarasota and Venice (Bradenton: real estate market, apartments)

[Ladywithafan]

Maybe ~ returning tourists book a year ahead. Let me repeat that, returning tourists book a year ahead.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

The snowbirds who have places here, or who have paid deposits, will still come if there property is okay.

The tourists will avoid the heavily impacted areas, and go elsewhere in Florida.

Siesta Key will still be a huge draw, & Anna Maria, & Bradenton's coastal area, but the rest of SW Forida's tourism will suffer. Tourists will flock to Siesta Key North in SW FLA, & go to SE Florida & the Panhandle instead.

Tourism from Venice South to Naples will suffer.

What I'm scared of!! My business is in ft myers so even if its up and running by December I'm basically f*cked because of ft myers beach, naples, etc. No spring breakers!!

Could be a 2 year thing too.

[newtovenice]

Originally Posted by Ladywithafan

Maybe ~ returning tourists book a year ahead. Let me repeat that, returning tourists book a year ahead.

Depends on what else is booked. Landlords may dump a few 'week here and there' bookings for 6-10 months of guaranteed income from hurricane displaced folks waiting for rebuilds/roof repairs.

And vacationers may cancel their reservations here and go elsewhere. Who knows.

[newtovenice]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

What I'm scared of!! My business is in ft myers so even if its up and running by December I'm basically f*cked because of ft myers beach, naples, etc. No spring breakers!!

Could be a 2 year thing too.

Ft Myers is screwed. No doubts about that.

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by newtovenice

Depends on what else is booked. Landlords may dump a few 'week here and there' bookings for 6-10 months of guaranteed income from hurricane displaced folks waiting for rebuilds/roof repairs.

And vacationers may cancel their reservations here and go elsewhere. Who knows.

On Siesta, Lido & Longboat, and Anna Maria, they book the condos upon check-out for the next year; I know as I managed a weekly luxury gulf front.

[newtovenice]

Originally Posted by Ladywithafan

On Siesta, Lido & Longboat, and Anna Maria, they book the condos upon check-out for the next year; I know as I managed a weekly luxury gulf front.

I'm well aware. I did not disagree with you. ???

[newtovenice]

Originally Posted by CafeDeLaMaison

LOL...wow, I've never read so many unsubstantiated if not irrational predictions about what seasonal residents will do or will not do, especially about Manatee and Sarasota counties. Seasonal actual residents are not *tourists*. Tourists would be smart to skip the entire area due to mssive, necessarily recovery efforts which will be afoot for months and years. Behaviors and attitudes are already shifting OUT of Florida.

Someone who rents for a month or 2? Is a tourist. IMO.

Snowbirds are not tourists.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by newtovenice

Someone who rents for a month or 2? Is a tourist. IMO.

Snowbirds are not tourists.

I wonder how long people must stay in Florida to be considered Snow Birds, and not tourists?

I think of tourists as people who stay 1 day upto 6 weeks, 6 weeks being mostly Europeans....remember them?

Tourism will suffer in the Ian ravaged areas, but some snow birds will return if their place down here is okay.

People relocating to Florida full time will just keep coming, but the rate will slow a bit for a while. Not just due to Ian, but also for economic reasons...inflation, recession, stock market dip, & interest rates for those who need a mortgage.

[newtovenice]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

I wonder how long people must stay in Florida to be considered Snow Birds, and not tourists?

I think of tourists as people who stay 1 day upto 6 weeks, 6 weeks being mostly Europeans....remember them?

Tourism will suffer in the Ian ravaged areas, but some snow birds will return if their place down here is okay.

People relocating to Florida full time will just keep coming, but the rate will slow a bit for a while. Not just due to Ian, but also for economic reasons...inflation, recession, stock market dip, & interest rates for those who need a mortgage.

Snowbirds are about a 6 month split, and own 2 homes, 1 up north and 1 down here.

Everyone else is a tourist. YMMV.

[Sunshine Rules]

One of the main dictionaries defines a snowbird as a person who vacations in or moves to a warmer climate during cold weather. Nothing mentioned about length of time spent in the warmer climate.


According to the Farmer's Almanac, winter for much of the Midwest and along the East Coast will be "shivery and snowy." The eastern half of the U.S. can expect potentially record-breaking cold to define the season.

This frigid forecast extends to the Deep South and Texas.

Winter temperatures will be colder than normal across much of the country between the East Coast and Rockies.

Snowfall will be greater than normal from central New England through northern North Carolina, from the Lower Great Lakes and the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys into the southern Plains, from the northern Plains into eastern Washington, and across the higher terrain of the southern Rockies and California.

Freezing temperatures will also bring above-average snow totals to most areas in the eastern U.S. that typically experience snowfall.


If the almanac comes close to being right on their predictions for the winter of 2022 - 2023, snowbirds will be flocking to warmer places such as FL, regardless of Ian. Snow and bone chilling cold have a way of motivating people.