INDIAN SHORES – The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary is asking the community’s help to locate a missing bird and long-time resident, “Peeps,” an American Oyster Catcher.
The bird escaped Monday, March 2 from the aviary located at 18328 Gulf Blvd. in Indian Shores.
It is a small black and white bird with bright orange eyes and a long orange skinny beak. It has pinkish legs and an orange rehabilitation tag on his leg.
Peeps is friendly and recognizes his name. Sanctuary staff said he is one of the most recognizable birds in the facility and is popular with hundreds of children in the area.
The bird is habitualized and has never been in the wild before and has no survival skills. Peeps needs to be returned to the sanctuary as soon as possible to survive.
Anyone with information should call 391-6211 or 391-2473.
For Florida Gulf Coast Rentals near the Sanctuary
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Calypso Beach Resort Towers
If you are traveling to the Panama City Beach area and are looking for a great place to stay - check out http://www.beachquestresorts.com/ for all the best accommodations at Calypso Beach Resort Towers. Ask for Dennis. He manages four great properties that can also be seen at www.floridagulfvacation.com .
Enjoy the Beach!
Enjoy the Beach!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Myths and Realities of Vacation Rentals
For a family of four, the availability of a full kitchen can mean a savings of hundreds of dollars compared to having to eat every meal at a restaurant.
Far from being a bad thing, the recession could just boost awareness of the vacation rental option.
Some vacationers still perceive a vacation rental as being more expensive than a hotel.
Nothing could be farther from the Truth in most areas. We're working to make sure the advantages of a vacation rental versus a hotel are understood by vacationers.
Take the example of the Tampa Bay Beaches - The local Marriott gives you a "1 bedroom suite" (760 sq ft) for $239 per night, a 2 bed/2 bath 1300 sq foot beachfront condo goes for $125- $150 per night.
It looks like vacationers probably will be doing even more last-minute booking in hopes of finding discounts. Our analysis of statistics from Florida Gulf Vacation search data for February of 2009 confirm this, as almost 80% of searches for Florida winter destinations were for February or March.
This morning we received a call from a gentleman in Canada planning a vacation in Florida this fall. He was wanting to know if there was anything he could do to protect his deposit because the owner did not take credit cards. He decided against renting the condo he was interested in because he could not pay by credit card.
It is always best to rent from owners who support credit card payments.
Vacation rentals are a more than $24 billion business in the U.S. alone, with expectations of strong growth.
Here are some other key findings from a recent study on the industry:
1. Nearly two thirds of vacation rental guests researched online for their last trip.
2. 20 percent of online travel shoppers (who used at least one website to plan their travel) booked a vacation rental in the past year.
3. Vacation rental guests are well-off, well-traveled, well-educated and savvy internet users.
4. Vacation rental guests are very satisfied: 89% of vacation rental guests indicated that they will rent again within three years.
Another bit of information included in the study showed that four out of five vacation rental owners surveyed said they did not receive good value from their property managers.
So, if you are still paying a property manager to secure tenants for you, why?
Check out great marketing sites like Florida Gulf Vacation for assistance in marketing your property and cut out the middleman and get more money in your pocket
Far from being a bad thing, the recession could just boost awareness of the vacation rental option.
Some vacationers still perceive a vacation rental as being more expensive than a hotel.
Nothing could be farther from the Truth in most areas. We're working to make sure the advantages of a vacation rental versus a hotel are understood by vacationers.
Take the example of the Tampa Bay Beaches - The local Marriott gives you a "1 bedroom suite" (760 sq ft) for $239 per night, a 2 bed/2 bath 1300 sq foot beachfront condo goes for $125- $150 per night.
It looks like vacationers probably will be doing even more last-minute booking in hopes of finding discounts. Our analysis of statistics from Florida Gulf Vacation search data for February of 2009 confirm this, as almost 80% of searches for Florida winter destinations were for February or March.
This morning we received a call from a gentleman in Canada planning a vacation in Florida this fall. He was wanting to know if there was anything he could do to protect his deposit because the owner did not take credit cards. He decided against renting the condo he was interested in because he could not pay by credit card.
It is always best to rent from owners who support credit card payments.
Vacation rentals are a more than $24 billion business in the U.S. alone, with expectations of strong growth.
Here are some other key findings from a recent study on the industry:
1. Nearly two thirds of vacation rental guests researched online for their last trip.
2. 20 percent of online travel shoppers (who used at least one website to plan their travel) booked a vacation rental in the past year.
3. Vacation rental guests are well-off, well-traveled, well-educated and savvy internet users.
4. Vacation rental guests are very satisfied: 89% of vacation rental guests indicated that they will rent again within three years.
Another bit of information included in the study showed that four out of five vacation rental owners surveyed said they did not receive good value from their property managers.
So, if you are still paying a property manager to secure tenants for you, why?
Check out great marketing sites like Florida Gulf Vacation for assistance in marketing your property and cut out the middleman and get more money in your pocket
Traveler Sentiment Makes a Big Move Up
(ORLANDO, FL) -- Seems like the bad news just keeps coming from both within and outside the industry. As such, we were delighted to see, and are now pleased to share, some welcomed good news: the U.S. Traveler Sentiment Index™ is now rising, the first increase we have observed since January of 2008.
The Traveler Sentiment Index™ is a nationally-representative survey by the U.S. Travel Association (formerly the Travel Industry Association) since early 2007. The survey is the only national survey that tracks the near-term travel intentions of Americans viewed through the lens of emerging economic, social and political developments. The most recent survey flight was conducted the week of February 7, 2009 with a national sample of 2,270 U.S. adults.
The Traveler Sentiment Index™ isderived of six variables: interest in travel, availability of time to travel, availability of money to travel, perceived affordability of travel, quality of travel services and safety.
All measures increased from the levels observed in October 2008 (the last survey flight). And four measures displayed double-digit increases: interest in travel (+10.3%), availability of time to travel (+12%), quality of travel services (+14.1%) and perceived affordability of travel (+97.2%). The result was a 15.3 percent increase in the overall Index from the level recorded in October 2008, although the February 2009 index remains 3 percent below the level recorded in February 2008. The trend line we have observed since early 2007 is revealed below
The spike in the perceived affordability of travel appears to be a direct result of many travel suppliers' recent efforts to stimulate short-term demand through the aggressive promotion of discounted fares and rates. Promotional pricing and related incentives are now offered by suppliers representing practically every segment of the travel industry including airlines, cruise lines, hotel companies, attractions, restaurants and rental car companies, some of which are featuring up to 50 percent off fares and rates they were quoting just 6 months ago.
The Traveler Sentiment Index™ is a nationally-representative survey by the U.S. Travel Association (formerly the Travel Industry Association) since early 2007. The survey is the only national survey that tracks the near-term travel intentions of Americans viewed through the lens of emerging economic, social and political developments. The most recent survey flight was conducted the week of February 7, 2009 with a national sample of 2,270 U.S. adults.
The Traveler Sentiment Index™ isderived of six variables: interest in travel, availability of time to travel, availability of money to travel, perceived affordability of travel, quality of travel services and safety.
All measures increased from the levels observed in October 2008 (the last survey flight). And four measures displayed double-digit increases: interest in travel (+10.3%), availability of time to travel (+12%), quality of travel services (+14.1%) and perceived affordability of travel (+97.2%). The result was a 15.3 percent increase in the overall Index from the level recorded in October 2008, although the February 2009 index remains 3 percent below the level recorded in February 2008. The trend line we have observed since early 2007 is revealed below
The spike in the perceived affordability of travel appears to be a direct result of many travel suppliers' recent efforts to stimulate short-term demand through the aggressive promotion of discounted fares and rates. Promotional pricing and related incentives are now offered by suppliers representing practically every segment of the travel industry including airlines, cruise lines, hotel companies, attractions, restaurants and rental car companies, some of which are featuring up to 50 percent off fares and rates they were quoting just 6 months ago.
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