County tourism officials to snowbirds: Pinellas sun is ‘still shining’

As snowbirds look toward their annual migration to Pinellas County, the area's double-barrel hurricane hit is both national and international news.

Since tourism drives the economy, the county is attempting to counter the images of destruction and debris with positive messaging.

"We're looking for ways to authentically show that we are in fact not as badly hit as CNN or The New York Times might make you think we've been hit," Visit St. Pete-Clearwater's Steve Grimes said at Wednesday's meeting of the Tourist Development Council.

"Getting visitors here, spending time and money here, is critical," Grimes, the organization's chief marketing officer, told the council. "We all know we need to aggressively market this destination and get people back here as soon as the time is right."

Developed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene was the "Still Shining" marketing campaign across the nation and around the world. It had barely been initiated when Hurricane Milton all but erased it.

The message survives.

"Still Shining is not intended to be a Visit St. Pete-Clearwater-owned message," Grimes said. "It is a community message. It's for everybody, and we're looking for all the ways we can to shout it from the rooftops: We're still here. The sun is still shining."

He stressed the "positivity and the resilience" of "Still Shining" — "regardless of what condition the beaches are in or anything else, the sun is shining."

Since the sun isn't shining on every resident or business owner with equal intensity, Grimes admitted, the message might mean different things to different people. "But as a community overall, we did not get wiped off the face of the earth. Nothing even close to it. And we've got lots and lots of hotels, and restaurants, that are back open."

Visit St. Pete-Clearwater is working with county and city officials "to make sure we get a cohesive message. We want to avoid any challenges where one community says 'come back' and another says 'please don't.'"

The key, he said, is to "stress damage — not destruction."

Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector recounted two recent interviews with Canadian television. "Both times," he said, "the last question they asked me was, 'When will it be safe for Canadians to return there?' Their image is all the bad pictures.

"I told them, it's not going to be perfect, but you're going to have a similar experience to what you've always had here. We're going to get through this."

Asked council member Doreen Moore: "Are we thinking about marketing our other amenities? Because yes, our beaches are terribly affected ... maybe the staycations, getting people from other parts of the state that just want to have a break?

"Maybe they want to come and stay over and play golf? Maybe they want to go to our arts and culture? Are there ways to spread the message about the other great things we have to offer in Pinellas County?"

Brian Lowack, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater president and CEO, responded: "That is going to be key, is our messaging between now and January. Steve and the team are putting that together as we speak."

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