Politics & Government

Naturists Aim To Make Pasco A Tourist Destination For Europeans

Organization hopes to work with county to market the area to travelers.

When the busy season ends at Land O’ Lakes area naturist resorts, the European summer vacation season is just going into full swing.

The potential to attract European naturists – and their money – to Pasco County isn’t lost on Paul Brenot, the president of the Pasco Area Naturist Development Association, or PANDA, for short.

“July and August are our very slow times,” said Brenot. “That’s the time frame Europe goes on vacation. Everyone is looking for somewhere new to go. We have the facilities. We have the hotel rooms.”

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As a result, PANDA is in the process of formulating a plan to market Pasco County to European travelers. The project, dubbed Eurobird, will include a variety of promotional undertakings to bring Pasco County and its naturist resorts to the attention of vacationing Europeans.

“We’re going to work with the county, the state and the federal (agencies) ... anyone who wants to bring more tourists here to Pasco County,” Brenot said.

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The idea is to not only book rooms in the naturist resorts, but also bring money and jobs to an area with a flagging economy, he said.

“We’re going to (be) bringing money (here),” Brenot said. “That money is going to be left in Central Florida. This helps everybody.”

Brenot said Central Florida is a perfect destination for European naturists. First off, the area’s weather is a little cooler than traditional summertime naturist destinations in Europe, such as Greece, Cypress and Crete. Secondly, it already has well-known resorts like and Caliente. Thirdly, Central Florida is Central Florida with all of its attractions, such as Disney.

“When we’re out there saying ‘Eurobird Season Destination Pasco,’ we’re trying to let them know this is a destination,” Brenot said. “All of Florida (is). We have the perfect locale.”

To market the area to potential visitors, Brenot envisions a campaign that will include free and paid efforts combined. Articles posted on naturist websites and paid ads are hoped to help bring the traffic here. PANDA also intends to revamp its own website soon to better market Pasco County tourism, he said.

PANDA representatives have been in touch with County Commissioner Pat Mulieri about the tourism push.

“I think it is a great idea,” Mulieri said. “The naturalist resorts are a great economic plus for Pasco. I support Panda's efforts to bring tourism into Pasco.”

Mulieri said she is setting up a meeting between PANDA and the county’s tourism agency to try and get the ball rolling.

Brenot said brining naturist tourists to Pasco makes sense with the amenities already in place.

As the old saying goes, he said, “If you build it, they will come. We built it, but they don’t know about it. We’re going to let them know.”

For more information about PANDA, visit Pandabare.org online.


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