Sunshine Matters

I am very pleased to announce that VISIT FLORIDA has hired Paul Phipps as our new Chief Marketing Officer.  Paul has 37 years of experience in sales, marketing, promotions and management having served in such high-profile positions as General Manager for Seminole IMG Sports Marketing/Assistant Athletic Director Florida State University, Chief Marketing Officer for International Speedway Corporation and Executive Vice President for Major League Soccer. Continue reading »

I am pleased to share with you the following press release that was sent out today by the Governor’s Press Office:

Governor Scott announced today that according to preliminary estimates* released by VISIT FLORIDA – the state’s official tourism marketing corporation – 89.3 million visitors came to Florida in 2012, an increase of 2.3 percent over 2011.  This represents a record year for visitation to Florida, exceeding the previous high of 87.3 million in 2011.  The number of direct travel-related jobs in 2012 was also a record high, with 1,030,600 Floridians employed in the tourism industry. Continue reading »

On behalf of the entire Florida tourism industry, I would like to thank those in the Governor’s Office and with the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles who acted quickly this week to address concerns about the International Driving Permit.  I would especially like to commend Julie Jones, Executive Director of DHSMV and two key members of her communications staff, Courtney Heidelberg and Kirsten Olsen-Doolan. Continue reading »

Today, I am pleased to announce VISIT FLORIDA has unveiled our new brand campaign that captures all the feelings of a Florida vacation experience in just four words: Must Be the Sunshine.  There is nothing more powerful than a personal story being shared directly with others, and so at its core ‘Must Be the Sunshine’ is a storytelling campaign. Continue reading »

I am pleased to announce that VISIT FLORIDA has partnered with the Florida Chamber Foundation on the addition of metrics to The Florida Scorecard that now track the impact of Florida’s tourism industry on the state’s economy.  The new resource will provide detailed, interactive metrics that gauge the monthly activity of key indicators within Florida’s top industry and provide insight into the importance of tourism to the Sunshine State’s business community. Continue reading »