Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA recently released its third quarter numbers revealing that overseas visitors to the state are up 17.4 percent, Canadian visitors have increased by 23 percent, and overall we’re up 0.6 percent from the same time period in 2009.  As director of international sales and marketing, the international statistics are certainly worth discussing in my opinion.  And, they will be a major topic of discussion next week during the annual VISIT FLORIDA marketing retreat to start planning for the 2011-2012 fiscal year budget.  Continue reading »

I am pleased to announce that the Florida Seafood Celebration, held at Florida House on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 17, was a huge success with more than 200 legislators, staffers and seafood enthusiasts in attendance.  Senator Bill Nelson and Senator-elect Marco Rubio were two members of Florida’s congressional delegation who joined the festivities and addressed the crowd in support of Florida’s tourism and seafood industries.  Continue reading »

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has announced that it will recognize VISIT FLORIDA with Gold, Silver and Bronze Adrian Awards for advertising and digital marketing excellence for its winning entries in the 54th annual Adrian Awards Competition, the largest and most prestigious travel marketing competition globally. The HSMAI Adrian Awards honor “creative brilliance and best practices” in hospitality, travel and tourism-related marketing.  Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA has released our preliminary estimates of visitors to Florida for the third quarter of 2010 (July-September) which show an estimated 18.9 million travelers visited the Sunshine State. This represents an increase of 0.6 percent from the same period in 2009. Continue reading »