MANATEE COUNTY - The end of 2008 is turning out to be good for Suncoast restaurants and hotels.  Tourism leaders say the bad weather in other parts of the country and low gas prices are helping turn what was a down December into a dramatic finish.

It's just before sunset on Anna Maria Island, and the beach is packed.  The restaurants are jammed, too.  All with people visiting, like Robert Holley and Sherry Fitch from Cincinnati, Ohio.  "When we left it was -12 (degrees) and it was some freezing rain the day before, and the weather here being the coldest 50, it's a lot better than what we're used to."

They picked Anna Maria Island because they got a good last-minute travel deal.  And say they feel safe in the quiet, laid back atmosphere. 

And those are just some of the things highlighted in a recent USA Today article.  The national newspaper did a huge spread on Anna Maria Island earlier this month.

And it's also helped boost business in this last part of 2008.  "They received about 150 calls the day the article was circulating, and website traffic to the Anna Maria Chamber site was up 350% from the day before the article came out to the day of," says Jessica Grace, of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

We also checked with convention and visitor bureau leaders in Sarasota County.  They too say the weeks prior to Christmas were slow, and bookings were down this winter.  But the end of the year brought in a bonus.

In Charlotte County, the pace was down from last year.  But business has picked up in late December, too.

Tourism leaders are hoping this good forecast continues, so people like our visitors from Cincinnati will have more reasons to come, stay and spend.  "We want to get away from the cold weather.  And when we think of next month and we will say hey, last month we were jet-skiing through the bay."

Tourism leaders are hoping this trend continues into the new year.  The numbers of visitors usually go up around Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend.  And they're also hoping the Super Bowl in Tampa will help business, too.