Lights, camera, action! Fort Myers brings palm tree paradise to TIFF 2024

Toronto and Fort Myers, Florida may have geographical differences, but there’s one thing the two destinations have in common: a love for films.

As the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicked off Thursday night (Sept. 5), the team at Fort Myers tourism (known officially as Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches & Neighbourhoods) made its presence known by sponsoring the festival’s Hollywood North Party, a star-studded event (put on by Hello! Canada and Toronto Life) that brought together pros from various film and media industries, and local celebrities, for a buzz-filled night of entertainment, music, food and drink.

The Prosecco-filled, 1940s Old Hollywood-inspired extravaganza at the University Club of Toronto had many rooms, one of which Fort Myers brought to life – the “Royal Palm Lounge,” which was pumped up with palm trees and vibrant cocktails.

In sun-kissed Fort Myers, which is represented by VoX International in Canada, one of the main streets, McGregor Boulevard, is lined with royal palms. 

As the story goes, American investor and businessman Thomas Edison was the one who started planting palms along the roadside. The city, over time, kept up with it.

Fort Myers loves films

It made for a paradise-like environment at last night’s bash, but Fort Myers and films share a deeper connection that goes beyond food stations and open bars.

Like Toronto, the sun-and-beach destination, too, hosts its own line-up of film festivals.

There’s the Fort Myers Film Festival, which will celebrate its 15th year in 2025, and fests in other neighbourhoods. The Fort Myers Beach Film Festival on Estero Island and Bonita Springs Short Film Festival are just two examples.

"Mother Nature’s theme park"

Fort Myers supporting TIFF was also about engaging with a top international market for tourism – Canada.

“We love our neighbours to the north,” said Charm Evans, global sales manager at Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches and Neighbourhoods, speaking to PAX at a pre-party cocktail that was held at Planta Restaurant’s Queen West location. “A lot of Canadians will fly or drive down. It’s easy to get to the Gulf.”

Fort Myers' islands, beaches and neighbourhoods in Southwest Florida are made up of more than 100 barrier islands that are strung along the Gulf of Mexico.

The laid-back region also includes many unique inland communities. Each island has a distinct personality, and the local landscapes have the elements that make sun vacations great: secluded white sand beaches, lush mangrove forests, boutique shopping, waterfront dining, and art deco neighbourhoods.

For golf enthusiasts, Fort Myers boasts more than 90 golf courses, for all skill levels, set against calm settings. There’s also 190 miles of kayaking routes to explore.

“We like to say that we’re Mother Nature’s theme park,” Evans told PAX. “It's not Miami or Orlando where you go for theme parks and nightlife. [In Fort Myers], you can take a vacation from your vacation. It’s slowed down and relaxed.”

Fort Myers River District comes alive at night with rooftop bars, waterfront restaurants, art, and live music. The newly-inaugurated Caloosa Sound Amphitheater is also ideal for live entertainment.

Visitors can even explore Fort Myers by boat with several charters leaving from Sanibel and Captiva islands, where it’s not unusual to see dolphins splashing about.

The destination is also known as the “Seashell Capital of the World” – the area’s calm waves make the islands a top pick for people looking for beautiful seashells.

And there’s always a line-up of local events to look forward to. Coming soon is the Island Hopper Festival – the largest singer-songwriter festival outside of Nashville.

Happening from Sept. 20-29, the festival offers free live performances by some of music’s top singer-songwriters in intimate venues and open-air spaces across Captiva Island, Cape Coral, downtown Fort Myers, and Fort Myers.

Come one, come all

While Canadian snowbirds certainly land in Fort Myers, the destination’s demographic isn’t limited to just one group, Evans explained.  

“A lot of families and couples come to the destination. They can be from their early thirties all the way to [retired] snowbirds,” she said.

One post-pandemic trend Fort Myers is tracking right now is the rise in demand for vacation homes.

“[Visitors] are looking for a vacation home experience because they get more bang for their buck,” Evans said. “They get a whole area to themselves. If they're bringing a family with children, or other generations, it's nice to have that.”

Hurricane recovery

Evans also shared an update on Fort Myers’ hurricane recovery efforts. As previously reported, the destination faced the harsh impact of a Category 4 storm, Hurricane Ian, back in September 2022. 

Efforts to restore and rebuild the community have been ongoing since that damaging weather event.

“We don’t like to say ‘we’re back’ because we never closed,” Evans said. “As far as our accommodations go, we are 75 to 78 per cent open. It’s taking a little longer for our island accommodations to get back online, but all our inland hotels are open.”

The destination’s restaurants and attractions, meanwhile, are “open and eager for business,” Evans said.

She urged travel advisors – and Canadians in general – to come down and see the warm-weather destination for themselves.

“We’re here and eager to welcome them,” she said.

How to get there

Fort Myers is accessible from Canada with direct, non-stop flights from Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa to the Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).

And connectivity has never been better – out of Toronto, Air Canada offers three flights a day, while WestJet operates daily service.

Porter Airlines, using its new 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 jets (which have no middle seats), will increase its connectivity to Fort Myers this winter.

Out of Toronto-Pearson, the airline will offer 14 weekly departures, and starting soon are new flights from Ottawa (launching Nov. 28) and Montreal (starting Nov. 29).

Porter, notably, will be the only airline this winter offering flights to Fort Myers out of Montreal.  

For more information on Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches & Neighbourhoods, click here.

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