County VCB launches ‘Just Feels Right’ campaign
With “season” just about ready to kick into full gear across Southwest Florida, county officials and independent agencies are marketing the region far and wide.
Data from the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) showed that in 2024, economic impact from both vacationers and “snowbirds” saw dollars in the billions spent locally.
According to the VCB, 3,199,500 visitors came to the area in 2024, an increase of 15.5% from the year prior. Visitor spending in ’24 generated a total economic impact of $4,951,755,500, an increase of 17.3%.
Despite recent setbacks, VCB officials state that tourism indicators continue to move in a positive direction. The number of passengers traveling through Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) continues on an upward trend, with officials seeing notable growth.
“Each year the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau develops a robust marketing approach designed to attract both domestic and international visitors,” VCB Executive Director Tamara Pigott said. “Key domestic markets areas include the Midwest, Northeast and in-state visitors. The primary international markets are Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.”
According to the VCB’s Sales & Marketing Plan, the target audience strategy is:
– Focus strategies to reach a more qualified audience based on who is currently visiting.
– Continue leaning into addressable audiences and leverage for year-round, 1:1 prospecting.
– Utilize contextual, behavioral, purchase, search and social targeting to capitalize on demonstrated intent.
– Target past visitors from 2021-22 and encourage them to return.
The VCB also is focusing on categories such as meeting planners, travel advisors and weddings.
In terms of an international approach, the VCB is keeping its presence in well-established markets, such as Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom (UK). It hopes to drive inbound visitation and visitor spending by capitalizing on rising international travel. There have also been media campaigns running during key travel-planning periods.
The VCB is also using data to learn from new search and booking patters as they return to pre-pandemic levels.
“In addition to directly targeting consumers, the VCB utilizes sales, public relations and destination weddings efforts to drive additional visitation to the area,” she said. “We also partner with the Lee County Sports Development, who helps fill area hotel rooms by hosting amateur sporting events throughout the year.”
In 2024, the “top reasons” for visiting Fort Myers included “relax and unwind,” “beaches” and “visiting friends/relatives.”
Promotions also play a role in getting visitors to the area, as 38% of visitors recalled promotions within the six months prior to their visit.
Promotions influenced 20% of all visitors to come to Lee County and its islands.
According to data from the VCB, 88.5% of visitors to the area came domestically, with 34.4% from the Midwest, 20% from the Northeast and 18.9% from the South/Southeast. Internationally, 6.2% of visitors came from Canada and 2.1 traveled from Germany. Other international markets such as the UK and other European countries made up 3.2% of visitors.
As for how much time is spent here, VCB data shows that visitors spend an average of 6.4 nights in the area, with 25% being first-time visitors, and 21% having visited more than 10 times.
The top communities visitors traveled to were Fort Myers (34%), Cape Coral (18%), Fort Myers Beach (12%) and Bonita Springs (9%).
A new marketing campaign titled “Just Feels Right” was designed around the idea that people want to find moments when they can let go of daily and prioritize their peace of mind, with the underlying premise being that when you reclaim your sense of being present, you can follow what feels right.
“In terms of consumer marketing, the VCB’s ‘Just Feels Right’ campaign is designed around the idea that people want to find moments where they can let go of everyday stressors and prioritize their well-being by visiting the area,” Pigott said. “With a focus on how a vacation to this area feels, the campaign is built around our desire to be adventurous, connected, curious, playful and relaxed.”
The campaign uses emotion and humor to connect with consumers. With short attention spans in mind, the VCB created five 15-second videos based on five key feelings: playful, curious, adventurous, connected and relaxed.
When it comes to total travelers making their way through RSW, 2024 saw record-high numbers. A total of 11,028,182 passengers made their way through the gates last year, the highest on record, and up nearly 1 million from 2023.
According to data from RSW, 720,973 passengers traveled through RSW during July, an increase of 6.5% compared to July 2024 and the second-best July in the 43-year history of the airport. Year-to-date, passenger traffic is down 0.8%. The traffic leader in July was Delta with 173,395 passengers. Rounding out the top five airlines were Southwest (127,070), American (118,972), United (102,374) and JetBlue (70,046). Southwest Florida International Airport had 6,353 aircraft operations, an increase of 12% compared to July 2024.
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