What's new along The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel

Blueway or Bust: Canoe & kayak festival selected as Top 20 Event

The Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival has been selected as one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 Events for 2010. The annual canoe and kayak festival is scheduled this year for Oct. 29 to Nov. 7 in the greater Fort Myers area and beach communities.

The Atlanta-based non-profit Southeast Tourism Society represents 12 states and annually recognizes events that reflect its mission of creating economic development through travel and sustainable tourism. The award is significant because the Top 20 Events receive extensive exposure in print, broadcast and online media in the United States and Canada in more than 800 outlets.

The 10-day Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival offers speakers and instruction, cultural and eco-festivals, competitive races, a fishing tournament, a photo contest, paddlers’ get-togethers and green activities. Events are at public parks and archeological sites as well as resorts, restaurants and campgrounds along the Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail, a 190-mile marked-and-meandering saltwater trail that spans the coast and inland rivers along The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel.

The 2009 festival saw a 35 percent attendance increase and attracted more than 3,100 people from 18 states, Canada and Germany. It has been dubbed by Canoe & Kayak magazine and Sea Kayaker magazine as “North America’s fastest-growing paddling festival.” The festival is a featured event in the Islands Fall Fest promotion by the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau.

Festival details are available at www.CalusaBluewayPaddlingFestival.com. For trail information, visit www.CalusaBlueway.com. For Top 20 Events, go to www.SoutheastTourism.org. 

U.S. leisure travelers back on the move

Leisure travel is picking up quickly and U.S. travelers once again are on the move this year, according to a study by Travel Leaders, a travel company that includes more than 1,300 company-owned and franchised travel agencies in the United States and Canada. 

More than 63 percent of people who completed Travel Leaders’ nationwide consumer travel trends survey indicated they already had taken at least one trip this year and more than 77 percent indicated they will take two or more leisure trips during the remaining 2010 months. The online survey was conducted in March and includes responses from 800 consumers.

“Looks like we can finally say goodbye to that newfangled word ‘staycation’ as consumers are opting to say goodbye to their own backyards this year,” said Roger E. Block, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group. “Our findings also show that Florida will benefit from return to normalcy in consumer behavior, as more than 42 percent indicated that they had or would be traveling to the Sunshine State this year.”

The Travel Leaders’ findings mirror those of a new study by D.K. Shifflet & Associates (DKSA) that found that about 60 percent of 2009 travelers intend to travel in 2010 for either business or leisure at the same or greater rates than they did in 2009. More importantly, almost two-thirds of these travelers plan to spend the same or more than they did in the first half of last year.

The study, conducted among 2,200 travelers, revealed that 25 percent more business trips and 20 percent more leisure trips are planned in the first half of 2010. Not only are travelers planning to take more trips, similar proportions plan to spend more money on those trips. Only 14 percent of business and 16 percent of leisure travelers plan to spend less in the first half of 2010 than they did last year.

‘Tween Waters Inn offers Facebook promotion

‘Tween Waters Inn Island Resort on Captiva Island has introduced its Summer Vacation Facebook Promotion.

All current fans, as well as those who become a fan of ‘Tween Waters Inn Facebook page through May 31, will be entered to win a two-night stay for four. The estimated retail value of the prize is $500.

For more information, visit www.tweenwaters.com or contact Emily Kettner at EmilyK@make-noise.com or 239-395-9555.

Artificial reef construction underway

Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) scientists and local volunteers began reef construction and restoration in Estero Bay on April 3.

FGCU scientists, Lee County and West Coast Inland Navigation District in collaboration with local, state and federal agencies are involved. The project will create and restore oyster reefs in Estero Bay (200 square meters), thereby improving water quality, habitat availability, as well as preventing shoreline and mangrove erosion.

Seasoned professional joins VCB as office manager

Frances Belasco (r) has joined the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) staff as office manager. Belasco will provide executive level administrative and technical support to the VCB’s executive director and staff. She is responsible for office management as well as the supervising and training of clerical staff.

Belasco has a bachelor’s degree in management and will graduate with a master’s in the same field of study this year, both from Hodges University in Fort Myers.

Most recently, Belasco was the human resources manager for Belk Inc. where she was responsible for all human resource functions and facilitating customer service excellence. Previously she was the executive director of A New Leaf, a full service florist and garden shop that is a unique non-profit agency providing employment and job training to adults in Rhode Island who have psychiatric disabilities. In this position Belasco was responsible for all hiring and training of staff as well as all business operations and budgets. She is conversationally proficient in multiple languages.

Belasco and her family reside in Cape Coral.

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