Bradenton Tourism Group Lures NYC Visitors To FL With Targeted Fortune Cookie Messages

BRADENTON, FL — A tourism group has partnered with a media company that creates branded fortune cookies to draw New York City travelers to the Bradenton area this winter.

The Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau hopes its partnership with OpenFortune, which distributes ore than 1 billion fortune cookies with specific, branded messages to 21,000 restaurants nationwide, will inspire residents in the greater New York City area to escape the cold by visiting Manatee County, according to a news release.

These branded fortune cookies will feature vacation-inspired messages on one side of the paper and a brightly colored Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau design and QR code to access additional information on the back.

One fortune being circulated reads, “Warm weather is closer than you think.”

Another message tells New Yorkers, “Soon the only ice you will find will be in your drink.”

"With tourism back on the rise, these fortune cookies come at a time when many people are finally making travel plans again. We are thrilled to partner with OpenFortune on this unique initiative and look forward to helping people discover the Bradenton Area as the perfect destination for their long-awaited next vacation," Kelly Clark, chief marketing officer of the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, said.

The tourism agency hopes these fortune cookies will spark plans for future travel around the dinner table.

"Traditionally, fortune cookie messages focus on the future, many including travel and warmth," Matt Williams, co-founder and chief cookie officer of OpenFortune, said. "In this partnership, we are informing people who may not know of Bradenton to consider this beautiful destination in their upcoming travel plans."