Beyond the Cruise Port: Fort Lauderdale’s Niche Markets

Niche travel to Fort Lauderdale is multifaceted and full of sales potential. Yet many agents still look at the destination simply in terms of an overnight stop for cruise clients.

Here’s what agents should know to expand their client base for visits to Fort Lauderdale.

Extend the stay
“Our cruise port is the largest by passenger volume in the world,” said Josh Winston, director of domestic sales for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau (GFLCVB).

“We have the world’s largest cruise ships here, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. We’re trying to hold those passengers here for some extra time,” he said.

Even if that extra time is a few hours between disembarkation and airport, agents can offer their clients advice on what to do.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale convention bureau has compiled a list of activities that can be experienced in three hours or less. Suggestions for “Ten Ways to Play” range from beachfront promenades to amphibious tours.

The goal
The real aim, however, is to transform Fort Lauderdale into a port of call in its own right.

“I’ve been going to Fort Lauderdale for 12 or 15 years, several times per year. I usually do what I tell my clients to do. That is, go one night in advance and don’t explore,” said Rob Clabbers, president of Cruise Holidays of Chicago on Magnificent Mile.

But a recent fam trip changed Clabbers’ mind.

“If you take the time to get to know what the destination offers, it’s clear that there’s so much more than just an overnight visit,” said Clabbers.

“If clients are going to go on a cruise for a week, we need to suggest that they start their vacation in Fort Lauderdale. That’s especially true if clients are flying in from the Midwest,” he said.

Multicultural travel
Multicultural travel is another important — and growing — niche for agents to consider.

Broward County’s population is the one of the most diverse in the country. More than 50% of its residents are African-American, Caribbean or Hispanic.

That ethnic mix imparts a cultural richness to the area. It also serves as a magnet for multi-cultural visitors and family reunions. The increased airlift to the Caribbean and Latin America is also giving the market a boost.  

New initiatives
Moreover, new tourism initiatives are transforming multicultural communities in the Fort Lauderdale area.

The historic Black Sistrunk Corridor in Fort Lauderdale is one example. It has become a burgeoning business and arts district thanks to revitalization efforts.

Those efforts are credited with attracting important minority businesses and conventions, which in turn bring an added economic boost.

Examples include the prestigious annual conference of the National Urban League, set for 2015 in Fort Lauderdale.

The centennial celebration of the American Tennis Association (ATA) will take place there in 2016. Plans are underway to develop a permanent home for the ATA in Fort Lauderdale. It is the oldest sports organization for Black athletes in the country.

The new headquarters will include a National Training Facility and Black Tennis Hall of Fame.

LGBT tourism
Fort Lauderdale has actively marketed itself to the LGBT community for the past decade.

And the self-described “lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and family capital of Florida” has the demographics to support its claim.

Wilton Manors in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area recently earned the title “Gayborhood of the Year.” According to the U.S. Census, it’s the city with the highest concentration of same-sex couple households in the country.

“There are so many LGBT-owned business here,” Winston said.

“We have a huge infrastructure in place and attract a lot of gay conventions. We have Gay Days in November. But more than that, people come to Fort Lauderdale to party. We’re welcoming and safe and that is a huge draw.”

Fort Lauderdale is even reaching out to sub-genres in the LGBT niche. Among them: honeymoon planning for newlyweds.

It’s a market they’re standing up for publically. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau recently announced its support for overturning the same-sex marriage ban in Florida.