Sarasota County to host annual state-of-tourism summit Nov. 19

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Sarasota County’s annual state-of-tourism event, the Indicators Insights Summit, returns Thursday, Nov. 19, as the number of tourists and the amount they spend have increased for the fourth consecutive month.Hosted by Visit Sarasota County, the summit is intended to help local business leaders understand the behaviors and economic conditions expected to shape the region’s top industry in 2027.Hunter Carpenter, director of community relations and partnership for Visit Sarasota County joined Suncoast View to discuss the program topics, including the growth in tourism, how to sustain it and what to expect in the coming year.Speakers and awardsThe event has invited four C-suite leaders in travel, sports and visitor research to bring national trends into focus for the community, Carpenter said. Leaders from VISIT FLORIDA, the Sports Events Tourism Association (Sports ETA), Downs St. Germain Research and the CoStar Group will take the main stage, along with Visi