Fall is here, and things are heating up at Visit Sarasota County! We’re rolling out seasonal campaigns, spotlighting our incredible local businesses, and keeping our eyes on how fast-moving trends—especially in AI and digital discovery—are transforming how people plan and experience travel.

One major highlight: Fun in the 941: The Local Bite launched October 20! This new 60-day campaign is spotlighting our amazing restaurant partners with limited-time dining deals across Sarasota County. If you haven’t added your offer yet, there’s still time—submit it through the Partner Portal to get featured.

Speaking of what’s next… last month, I joined 18 other destination marketing leaders at CrowdRiff Converge, a roundtable on the future of discovery in tourism. From AI-generated search results to the shifting ways travelers engage with content, the industry is moving fast. We’re not just observing these changes, we’re actively preparing for it. Stay informed with new monthly shared insights below.

🚨 P.S. – Have you grabbed your tickets yet for the Indicators & Insights Summit? Our early-bird pricing ends today.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain fresh perspectives and actionable data on Sarasota County’s tourism landscape. It’s one of the most important gatherings of the year!

~Jess Bertolini, Director of Web & Digital Engagement

Increase awareness, drive site-traffic, and bookings/sales. Visit Sarasota’s 2026 advertising programs put your organization in front of visitors planning their Sarasota getaway!

Email and E-Newsletter availability is filling up, so let’s get started today on a customized package that fits your goals — whether you want steady year-round exposure or to promote a specific event or season.

👉 Browse and submit your interest (here) or reach out directly to Andy Roberts (andy.roberts@milespartnership.com) for help choosing the right fit.

Holiday Happenings 🎄

Whether you’re decking the halls, jingling all the way with festive events, or whipping up wintery magic, we want to hear all about it! 

Share images or videos for a chance to be featured on our social channels.

Let’s flood LinkedIn with joy — the Sarasota way! This season, we’re combining two reasons to celebrate: the #JoyInThe941 Challenge and the #SavorThe941 dining movement.

Here’s how to join in:

• Celebrate joy at your business — from team milestones to customer surprises or just that everyday good-vibe moment.

• Support a local restaurant — grab lunch, dinner, or coffee somewhere in Sarasota County between now and December 20.

• Share it on LinkedIn! Tag @Visit Sarasota County and use the hashtags #JoyInThe941 and #SavorThe941 to spread the cheer.

Let’s turn joy and local flavor into a movement — one LinkedIn post (and one delicious bite) at a time.

Google’s AI Overviews are now pulling content directly from public Instagram posts, including captions. That means your Instagram content can appear in both traditional search results and AI-generated summaries on Google.

To increase your chances of being featured and boost your overall visibility, it’s time to write your captions with search in mind. Here’s how:

📌 Caption Best Practices for AI Discoverability

Start with a question. This mirrors how people search and aligns with how AI generates responses.

Answer the question. Write captions that clearly and directly address the topic or query.

Use SEO-friendly keywords. Think about the phrases your audience is likely to type into Google and include them naturally.

Include hashtags and alt text. Both are now indexed by Google and can enhance visibility.

Structure matters. A strong caption starts with a question, offers a helpful summary or list, and ends with a call to action and hashtags.

✅ Practical Example

Looking for fun things to do with kids in Sarasota?

From feeding flamingos at Sarasota Jungle Gardens to sea life encounters at the new Mote SEA and playful history at the Circus Museum, Sarasota is packed with family-friendly adventures.

What’s your favorite go-to spot for a kid-friendly day? Tell us below! #SarasotaWithKids #FloridaFamilyVacation #ThingsToDoInSarasota

By writing with search intent in mind and leading with a question, your Instagram posts become more likely to be featured in Google’s AI Overviews—helping more travelers discover you.

Sarasota Shines in the Spotlight – September PR Highlights

In September, LHG’s strategic media efforts generated impactful national and regional coverage, reinforcing Sarasota County’s reputation as a destination of coastal beauty, cultural depth, and luxury experiences.

Coverage highlights included Southern Living spotlighting Siesta Key as “the Florida beach town with the softest sand and most incredible sunsets,” and Conde Nast Traveler featuring The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota among its best September travel deals. WorldAtlas ranked Venice among the best downtowns on the Gulf Coast, while Forbes celebrated the Sarasota Art Museum in a global Art Deco centennial feature.

Additional national attention came from Food & Wine, which recognized a Siesta Key coffee spot among the Top 100 Coffee Shops in America, along with thoughtful travel and lifestyle pieces in AFAR, Architectural Digest, and Flamingo Magazine. A three-story spread in Allegiant’s in-flight magazine Nonstoplife further amplified Sarasota’s dining, beaches, and fall events.

September National PR by the Numbers

6 Stories from LHG pitching efforts

7M+ impressions*

10 Stories total across national and regional outlets

*Impressions based on unique monthly visitors (UMVs) and print circulation.

Top National Features

Southern Living – This Florida Beach Town Has The Softest Sand And Most Incredible Sunsets

WorldAtlas – 10 Best Downtowns On The Gulf Coast

Conde Nast Traveler – 39 Best September Travel Deals We’ve Bookmarked This Month

Forbes – Celebrating 100 Years Of Art Deco Worldwide

Food & Wine – These Are the Top 100 Coffee Shops in America, According to Yelp

Architectural Digest – It’s Official: These Are the 25 Best Places to Live in the U.S.

AFAR – A New Black Heritage Trail Puts Florida’s Civil Rights History in the Spotlight

Flamingo Magazine – 12 Openings in Florida to Discover This Fall

Nonstoplife Magazine (Print) – Three-part feature showcasing Sarasota’s waterfront dining, Siesta Beach, and fall events (75,000 circulation)

 

International PR Coverage

UK coverage in September spotlighted Sarasota’s European-inspired charm, cultural attractions, and unique visitor experiences.

In total, 2 stories garnered 139,000 impressions, helping position Sarasota as a sophisticated and versatile destination for UK travelers.

In Germany, media coverage emphasized Sarasota’s outdoor adventure, culinary tourism, and luxury travel opportunities, supported by one press release and four editorial features.

Altogether, September stories generated 80,956 impressions, highlighting continued European interest in Florida’s Gulf Coast.

 

Overall, September coverage reinforced Sarasota County’s national and international relevance, celebrating its award-winning beaches, vibrant cultural scene, and elevated visitor experiences.

 

Local Media

September’s local media wins began and ended with award-winning momentum. Visit Sarasota County's FPRA Golden Image Awards and VISIT FLORIDA Flagler Award generated several stories, but we weren't the only one to earn recognition: Lido Key notably received a shoutout for being one of the top trending Fall destinations. Our bureau's participation in August’s BCC Workshop with the Arts Alliance and Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County continued to generate positive press, and July’s tourism numbers were of great interest – especially with Tourist Development collections up year-over-year.

September Local PR by the Numbers: 22 stories garnering 3.14 million impressions.

Top Local Stories

Agencies join forces to promote Sarasota County's vibrant lifestyle | Your Observer

Tourism bureau wins prestigious Silver Flagler award | Your Observer

Tourism numbers released by Visit Sarasota

Lido Key ranks among top trending fall vacation destinations

Op-Ed: Tourist Today, Possible Resident Tomorrow

Visit Sarasota County recognizes outgoing board members, sees new officers appointed

 

Don’t forget to tell us your story at pitchus@visitsarasota.com

Our Winter Digital Ad Campaign

This year, thanks to new funding, we are utilizing a platform called Zartico to analyze visitor movement and spend. These insights along with data from our research firm, Downs and St. Germain, will give us a deeper understanding of our visitor and help us market to them more effectively. 

*Data from Zartico comes from a sample size of credit card spending and cell phone geolocation data. To be considered a visitor for credit card spend data, the billing zip code needs to be out of the area. For location data, it is where the cell phone has been overnight the most in the last 30 days (it's home location). 

This email goes to everyone on the Marketing and Communications team to keep us in the loop of all the great things you are doing!