Seventh Annual Punta Gorda Wine & Jazz Festival Makes Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 List

CHARLOTTE HARBOR & THE GULF ISLANDS, Fla. (July 25, 2011) – The Seventh Annual Punta Gorda Wine & Jazz Festival has been named one of the STS Top 20 Events in the Southeastern United States for February 2012 by the Southeast Tourism Society (STS). Scheduled for Feb. 17 – 19, 2012, the three-day event is a celebration of food, drink and entertainment in one of Southwest Florida’s most picturesque settings, downtown Punta Gorda’s Laishley Park.

Building on the success of the 2011 Punta Gorda Wine & Jazz Festival, more tickets will be available to accommodate up to 1,800 people. The harmonious event, which attracts more than 60 percent of its visitors from outside of the state of Florida, will feature Saturday performances by The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman; smooth jazz guitarist Peter White; and saxophonist, singer and songwriter Mindi Abair. The weekend will also include a VIP reception, and a Sunday Jazz Brunch with a jazz performance by locally-grown talent Jim Morris.

“Expanding the festival from a one-day to a three-day event over the years has been a labor of love for the Punta Gorda Chamber,” said John Wright, President of the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce, “We are thrilled the Southeast Tourism Society has recognized the Wine and Jazz Festival with this honor.”

Through a nomination process, STS chooses the Top 20 events in the Southeast for each month of the year and publishes the list of winners quarterly. The Top 20 Events publication is distributed to more than 1,600 media outlets including magazines, newspapers, radio stations, and television stations. The Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau submitted the event to STS for consideration.

Information about the Punta Gorda Wine & Jazz Festival may be found at www.puntagordachamber.com or by contacting the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce at (941) 639-3720.

About the Southeast Tourism Society

Atlanta-based STS was founded in 1983 as a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the development of industry organizations and the promotion of tourism within and to STS member states. The organization has 900 members including state travel offices, convention and visitors bureaus and other related industry segments in 12 southern states. States represented are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. (www.southeasttourism.org)

About Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands

Located halfway between Tampa and Naples on the Southwest Florida Gulf coast, Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands is a charming collection of nine coastal communities surrounding the state’s second largest harbor. Florida’s premier year-round eco-tourism destination, Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands offers a pristine unspoiled beauty that has served as the backdrop for seven major feature films as well as countless memorable vacations. A haven for outdoor enthusiasts, Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands has been named to SAIL magazine’s “10 Greatest Places to Sail in the United States,” ranked by Golf Digest as “Third Best Place to Live and Play Golf in America,” and rated by MONEY magazine as one of the “Best Places to Live in the South.” Port Charlotte was named “Best Place to Retire” by MONEY magazine in 2009. The city of Punta Gorda was named in 2008 as one of “Top Ten Places to Retire Healthy” by U.S. News & World Report. Englewood, Fla. was named as #2 of the Top Ten emerging travel destinations in the U.S. by TripAdvisor.com.

For information about area events, activities and attractions, contact the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau, 18501 Murdock Circle, Suite 502, Port Charlotte, FL 33948; 941-743-1900, or call toll free at 1-800-652-6090 for a free Visitor’s Guide; or visit the Web site at www.CharlotteHarborTravel.com.

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