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Amplify Clearwater Launches Tourism Business Incubator To Boost Non-traditional Tourism

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Clearwater tourism impact on small businesses

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Golf carts are a uniquely Florida mode of transportation—the perfect business venture for Jason and Lindsey Corbett.

"There's so many people that come down here, and they're like, well, I want one of those. I want to get around town in a golf cart," said Jason.

That appeal is why Dunedin-based golf cart rental company Let's Go Carting is expanding into Clearwater.

"We knew about the reimagine Clearwater initiative going on. You know, it steps away from the new sound amphitheater, which has concerts year-round. So you know, we've just saw the potential," he said.

Growth is all around the city, like the new Coachman Park, bringing in music lovers to Clearwater.

Amplify Clearwater wants to welcome even more innovative small businesses to town.

"I think about all the kind of nontraditional parts of tourism, from sports tourism to medical tourism, ecotourism," said Amanda Payne, CEO of Amplify Clearwater.

They're launching the state's first tourism small business incubator.

"Having been an entrepreneur myself, I know how challenging it is; where do I start? What were the resources do I need? I have a great idea. I think this will be successful. I need mentors to bounce this off of. I need investors," she said.

Visit St. Pete/ Clearwater estimates visitors spend $353 every second.

But this re-imagined focus is just as beneficial for the people living here.

"I love this because we finally can combine innovation with solving local problems, be it traffic congestion during the snowbird season, or looking at beach erosion, or looking at even helping with climate change. There are so many problems that are uniquely Clearwater. Uniquely southwest Florida. And through this incubator, we can actually tackle those problems," said David Ponraj, CEO of Economic Impact Catalyst.

"There's so many people that come down here, and they're like, well, ' I want one of those; I want to get around town in a golf cart.'"

That appeal is why Dunedin-based golf cart rental company Let's Go Carting is expanding into Clearwater.

"We knew about the reimagine Clearwater initiative going on. You know, it steps away from the new sound amphitheater, which has concerts year-round. So you know, we've just saw the potential," said Jason Corbett.

Growth is all around the city. Like the new Coachman Park, bringing in music lovers.

Amplify cCearwater wants to welcome even more innovative small businesses to town.

"I think about all the kind of nontraditional parts of tourism, from sports tourism to medical tourism, ecotourism," said Amanda Payne, Amplify Clearwater CEO.

They're launching the state's first tourism small business incubator.

"Having been an entrepreneur myself, I know how challenging it is; where do I start? What were the resources do I need? I have a great idea. I think this will be successful. I need mentors to bounce this off of. I need investors," she said.

Visit St. Pete/ Clearwater estimates visitors spend $353 every second.

But this re-imagined focus is just as beneficial for the people living here.

"I love this because we finally can combine innovation with solving local problems, be it traffic congestion during the snowbird season, or looking at beach erosion, or looking at even helping with climate change. There are so many problems that are uniquely Clearwater, uniquely southwest Florida. And through this incubator, we can actually tackle those problems," said David Ponraj, CEO of EIC (Economic Impact Catalyst).

Statistically, 84% of businesses involved in an incubator last for five years. They are strengthening the local economy by supporting the neighbors who keep it moving.

"The initiative to be able to help small businesses, I think, says a lot about a town. You know, and that's kind of what got us really excited about this opportunity," Lindsey Corbett.

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Restaurants, Food And Drink

Colorado's tourism office will dish out $135,000 a year to promote the Michelin Guide, which produces restaurant listings around the globe and awards stars based on their quality.

The money will "support marketing and promotion domestically and internationally to raise awareness about Colorado's inclusion" in the guide, said Hayes Norris, senior brand manager for the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO), via email. The office will also "collaborate" with the Colorado cities where Michelin is reviewing restaurants to "promote culinary tourism in our state." Norris added that the partnership agreement is set for three years.

Glo Noodle House in Denver is one of nine restaurants that the Michelin Guide gave its Bib Gourmand designation to. (Photo by Daniel Brenner/Special to The Denver Post)

Michelin announced in June that it would produce a Colorado guide for the first time, reviewing  restaurants in Denver, Boulder, Aspen, Snowmass Village, Vail and Beaver Creek Resort. That was big news in the food world since Michelin, which is highly respected, only lists and reviews restaurants in seven other regions in North America: New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, California, Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Toronto and Vancouver.

Michelin revealed an initial list of "Bib Gourmand" restaurants on Tuesday. The first awards ceremony will take place on Sept. 12 in RiNo's Mission Ballroom.

"This move will elevate Colorado's status as a global dining destination, showcasing its unique flavors and … commitment to sustainability and innovation in the culinary industry," Norris said.

Restaurateurs in some cities, however, like Aurora felt snubbed by that limited scope. That raised questions about how Michelin decides which cities to spend time in, and whether the influence of tourism offices in those cities plays a part.

Michelin spokesman Andrew Festa said the organization wouldn't discuss commercial terms of its partnerships with cities or the state "for competitive reasons," adding that "the Colorado Tourism Office is working with Michelin on marketing and promotional efforts only."

He also said that "the involvement" of tourism agencies in establishing a new Guide "does not have any influence on the inspectors' judgments for the restaurants in the selection or the award distinctions." Those cities "discover the selected list of restaurants at the same time as the media and chefs … There is no preferential treatment … in the partnership."

"The Michelin Guide inspectors are anonymous and independent," Festa said. "They pay their own bills, just as any other person dining at a restaurant. Michelin covers all the expenses of the inspectors just as it would any employee on company travel."

Financial partnerships between tourism agencies and Michelin isn't uncommon in other states. Florida's Tourism Board paid $150,000 in 2022 for Michelin to review restaurants around the state, according to a story in the Robb Report, while California paid $600,000 for the guide to expand throughout the whole state in 2019, per a story in eater.Com.

"To bring these new destinations and their culinary specialties to light, Michelin has initiated a partnership approach with local destination marketing organizations (DMOs)," wrote Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guide, in a statement to The Denver Post, "which cover some of the costs incurred to fund communication, digital and marketing campaigns to promote the selections and broadcast them to the world."

Subscribe to our new food newsletter, Stuffed, to get Denver food and drink news sent straight to your inbox.

 Lily O'Neill joined The Denver Post in 2022 to cover all things food in the Mile High City, whether that's a new restaurant, a roundup of some of the top spots to visit around town or a glimpse at what's making foodies drool these days in Denver.

Broward Says Losses Mount For Tourism As More Conventions Stay Away, Citing Fear For Safety Of Diverse Groups

Broward County tourism officials say that financial losses are continuing to mount as conventions once scheduled for Fort Lauderdale have opted to go someplace else.

The tally now stands at 14, with four of those conventions backing out in August alone, according to Visit Lauderdale, the agency formerly known as the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

They cite Florida's culture wars on issues that critics say attack Blacks, gays, and transgender youth, as well as policies targeting state universities as well as migrants.

Broward's tourism arm said the lost conventions could have brought hotel stays to Fort Lauderdale and its surrounding cities, which also meant money spent on restaurants and attractions.

The updated list now includes the National Sales Network Conference, whose founder and CEO emailed the county Monday: "Moving forward, we will not consider conducting any future conferences in the state of Florida given the Governor's statement that slavery was good for Black people."

And the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology wasn't planning its annual convention until 2028, but backed out last week, citing in an email: "At the moment, we aren't able to consider any Florida cities because of the political issues around women's health and the added challenges with higher education there."

It adds to the laundry list of groups including the Chicago-based American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, which had planned a 3,000-person conference in Fort Lauderdale in 2026, and cited the "unfriendly political environment in Florida." The Washington, D.C.-based Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, which was scheduled to come to Fort Lauderdale in January, diverted to New Orleans instead because of what's perceived as anti-migrant policies. And the Atlanta-based aParent Miracles Foundation for this November is headed to Texas instead after the NAACP issued a travel advisory for Florida "in direct response to Governor Ron DeSantis' attempts to erase Black history, and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools," the organizer wrote the county's tourism office.

Last month, the Tom Joyner Foundation, and the 1,700 hotel rooms it wanted, disappeared, too. "If this were about economics, that would be one thing, but what is at the core of the issue from the above, is fear for the safety of African-American, LGBTQ+ and a smaller portion of even Latino students and others traveling to Florida to participate in what is a national event," an organizer wrote the tourism office. The agency also cited the state's new permitless gun carry laws, which allow people to carry concealed weapons without training or a permit, as another reason to skip the Sunshine State. That legislation was hailed by the NRA.

The emails were obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel in a public records request.

Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, Broward County's tourism promotion arm, said Tuesday she was "keeping a careful eye on the trend, which isn't great."

"It's most troubling because of the economic impact which translates into Broward County residents' jobs," saying an estimated 10% of Broward's jobs were directly or indirectly tied to tourism.

Ritter's agency is trying to offset the damage with advertising efforts to show Florida, at least the southern end, is welcoming. On Tuesday, they successfully appealed to the Broward County commission to spend nearly $800,000 — money raised from a tourism hotel tax — to participate in the January 2024 Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif.

Chief among the float participants considered to perform: Drag queens.

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.Com. Follow on Twitter @LisaHuriash

Lisa J. Huriash is a reporter for the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

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