Sunshine Matters

Florida has long been the number one recreational fishing destination in the country for anglers, which rightly earned us the title of “Fishing Capital of the World.”   Fishing in the Sunshine State brings in $7.5 billion and supports 75,000 jobs.  With nearly 3.7 million residents and visitors who fish Florida’s waters annually, fishing is an integral part of the state’s tourism industry.   Continue reading »

Today marks 100 days since the April 20 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion.  For Florida’s tourism industry, it’s been a difficult time – attempting to combat misperceptions that our beaches are covered in oil and working diligently to provide open, transparent information to visitors so they could make truly informed travel planning decisions.  Although the well has been capped, there remains a very real and constantly expanding impact to Florida’s economy – of which our $60 billion tourism industry is the driving force. Continue reading »

One of the most successful programs we’ve introduced on VISITFLORIDA.com is our Insiders.  The program is made up of freelance journalists working to promote all of the great travel products and destinations in Florida.  It was developed to engage consumers on www.VISITFLORIDA.com, who are looking for “insider” help on vacation planning or travel tips to Florida. Continue reading »

Media Coverage Overview – for the week of July 19 – 22, 2010

VISIT FLORIDA PROACTIVE MEDIA ASSISTS

VISIT FLORIDA’s Communications team continues to work with media to build awareness of Florida’s tourism assets for in-state and out-of-state travel and about Florida Live (at VISITFLORIDA.com) as a consumer resource tool in aiding potential visitors to make informed decisions about their travel plans based on accurate information versus speculation and rumors on beach conditions. Continue reading »

As a result of recent efforts, VISITFLORIDA.com experienced its highest month for traffic ever in June, with 719,070 visits to the website, representing a 46 percent increase over the same time last year.  This increase in traffic is due in large part to VISIT FLORIDA’s BP-funded marketing efforts that have allowed us to reach nearly 100 U.S. markets with messaging about the Florida Live feature and helping to clear up confusion about the current status of Florida’s beaches. Continue reading »