The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel launches online booking engine - E-bookings offer convenient purchase of destination insider vacations

07/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS: Nancy Hamilton, Lee Rose, Katie Meckley (239) 338-3500; Jackie MacKay, bvk, (407) 814-0014 or (407) 496-1770

LEE COUNTY, FL – The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel on Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast has added an online booking capability to its Web site at www.FortMyers-Sanibel.com.

“Consumers increasingly are using the Internet for travel, especially for comparison shopping; and they are seeking value and convenience more than ever before,” said Suya Davenport, executive director of the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB), which markets the destination for leisure and group travel. “Adding a booking engine to our Web site gives consumers a new way to conveniently book value vacation offerings in our destination and is a logical next step to the vacation planning tools we already feature on our site.”

Visitors using the new booking engine will be able to book themed packages to meet their vacation needs with a variety of optional add-on experiences from which to choose. They also will be able to shop rates and availability for accommodations, attractions, airfare, ground transportation and other vacation offerings and then book the experiences directly on the site in a matter of minutes.

“Consumers planning vacations to our destination not only will receive great value but also will save vacation planning time since we’re pooling and pre-packaging compelling experiences for them,” said Davenport. “We’re offering our unique knowledge of the destination, local insight and insider tips to visitors who want to experience The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel the way the locals do.”

Davenport cited recent research supporting the destination’s move into online booking. A JD Power and Associates’ Independent Travel Website Satisfaction Study conducted in 2008 shows that, of the total travel bookings done in the year 2008 globally, close to 70 percent were made online.

Other research indicates consumers still are planning to travel but that they are altering the way they travel by shopping for value, trading down in their choices, and shortening the length of their trips – all in an attempt to reduce the cost of travel. And the Internet clearly is a weapon of choice in this movement. The February 2009 edition of the travelhorizons™ survey, a nationally representative survey of 2,200 U.S. adults, revealed that 64 percent of respondents intend to comparison shop online. Another 87 percent plan to book packages to save money.

Davenport also cited research findings from a just-completed proprietary VCB study that indicates consumers are planning and purchasing leisure trips differently in 2009, with the pursuit of a “good value” as the main reason why:

* 66 percent of leisure travelers are actively looking for travel deals or bargains when planning their travel in 2009—up from 53 percent last year
* 57 percent of travelers plan to shop around more before booking
* 53 percent are searching online for lower cost hotels
* 58 percent plan to comparison shop for prices and rates specifically on the Internet
* 66 percent say price discounts are a tactic that would entice them to book more travel

The destination’s new online booking capability has been added to the Web site in time for the Islands FallFest promotion, which runs from Sept. 1 through Nov. 14, 2009. With special packages created to encourage fall visitation to the area, the promotion combines annual events and festivals with special rates and value-added deals for visitors to Florida’s unspoiled island sanctuary.

“We’re excited to add the convenience of one-stop shopping to our visitors,” said Davenport. “Online booking provides consumers with convenient travel deals featuring local market insights that maximize vacation value in today’s challenging economy.”

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