Sarasota County welcomed extra guests and better spending in May as NCS lately named town America’s best town to go to in 2026.
Sarasota ranked America’s No. 1 town to go to in 2026 by NCS
NCS named Sarasota America’s No. 1 town to go to in 2026, citing its arts scene, seashores, eating places and Gulf Coast allure.
Sarasota County noticed a powerful month for tourism in May 2026, with visitation growing 6.8% 12 months over 12 months and direct customer spending additionally rising 6.8%.
Visit Sarasota shared with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that throughout the month, the county had 128,000 guests, over 8,000 greater than the 119,900 guests in May 2025. Direct expenditures additionally noticed a rise, leaping from $130.6 million in May 2025 to $139.4 million in May 2026.
While the typical lodging room charge elevated from $264.98 in May 2025 to $287.35 in May 2026, lodging occupancy decreased barely. Lodging occupancy was at 58.7% in May 2026 in comparison with 59.1% in May 2025.
Despite the lower in occupancy, there have been 250,700 room nights bought in May 2026, 2,300 greater than the 248,400 bought in May 2025.
“While many destinations throughout Florida experienced positive hotel performance during May, Sarasota County’s results were particularly strong … demonstrating continued demand for our destination,” Visit Sarasota County President and CEO Erin Duggan stated.
“Although fiscal year-to-date visitation remains slightly below last year (-2.5%), May’s performance is an encouraging indicator as we head into the summer travel season. We will continue working alongside our industry partners to strategically market Sarasota County and maximize opportunities to attract high-value visitors.”
NCS rating acknowledges Sarasota’s customer potential
Sarasota County’s profitable May for tourism comes simply earlier than town of Sarasota was ranked as the No. 1 “Best Town to Visit in 2026” by NCS.
NCS Travel introduced its record of the top 10 places within the United States that it says usually fly underneath the radar for vacationers.
Sarasota scored extremely in classes together with arts and tradition, seashores and gardens, and historical past, resulting in its rating in the top spot. From The Ringling Museum to the various seashores all through the county, NCS Travel discovered that Sarasota has no scarcity of choices for guests together with advisable eating places and bars such as Indigenous and Bahi Hut.
Michaela Galligan is an intern masking quite a lot of matters for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. She may be reached at [email protected]. Support native journalism by subscribing.