More than 3 million tourists visited Manatee County in 2015, according to figures reported last week by the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and officials expect those record-breaking figures to be surpassed this year. “We are still expecting 4-percent growth this calendar year,” said Elliott Falcione, executive director of the bureau. “If the economy stays where it is, we should see another year of vertical growth.”

In total, visitor traffic in the Bradenton Area was up 3.4 percent over 2015, bringing an economic impact of $1.1 billion to the region, according to a report from Data Research Services commissioners by the bureau. The boost created an additional 24,700 tourism-related job opportunities in the area, up 13.4 percent from 2014. International tourists alone increased by almost 8 percent, making up almost 118,000 of the visitors to the region this year. Over the past four years, international visitation increased more than 27 percent, and Falcione said that increasing travel from abroad will be a major focus in the coming year.

“We continue to reinvest in Central Europe and the United Kingdom,” he said, “and we will continue to do some public relations in the Scandinavian countries, which are markets of opportunity for us.” Seeking out media attention in those countries will be an efficient use of dollars in those growing visitor markets. The bureau also seeks to boost domestic travel from American markets like the Midwest. 

In total, the bureau has a marketing budget of approximately $2.5 million this year, money generated entirely through a tourist development tax on hotel stays in the county. Falcon said that creates an incredible return, as tourism last year accounted for $46.9 million in sales tax in the Bradenton area alone. And something clear from growth rates in all statistics in the Data Research Services report, tourists are spending more per capita than in past years. The 3.4-percent increase in visitors brought an 8.8-percent boost in related sales tax, a 10.6-percent boost in economic impact and a 13.8-percent increase in tourism-related jobs from 2014 to 2015.