This year VISIT FLORIDA participated in METROPOLL XIV, a comprehensive study of meeting planners and the meetings market in North America, conducted by RRC Associates. The report, which provides a detailed description of meeting planners’ preferences and their perceptions of 40 North American destinations, was conducted over a dozen years allowing for trend analysis of important issues. This was the first time VISIT FLORIDA participated in the study, adding questions to determine how meeting planners viewed Florida as a meetings destination. Continue reading »
VISIT FLORIDA, an industry thought leader on so many fronts (see: Google Currents), has established a new standard with the conception, reporting and production of original content. This initiative started with the Insiders, the cast of bloggers who write consumer-friendly posts on such hot topics as beaches and family travel. And it continues with the VISIT FLORIDA Travel Wire, a network of veteran journalists who write, photograph and film stories of Florida which are then made available to such trusted publications as the Palm Beach Post and St. Petersburg Times. We understand this strategy: Stories, independently reported and including people like us, inspire travel.But here’s a more complicated question I’ve heard recently: What is a story? Continue reading »
Florida ranks second among all 50 states in total international visitation and first in visitor spending. In 2010 alone, Florida’s tourism industry brought in 11.1 million international visitors from 144 different countries who spent $10.6 billion. As a unique opportunity for increasing international visitation to the state and improving the Sunshine State’s economy, VISIT FLORIDA has now expanded the Florida Insider Program to reach overseas audiences.
In addition to our nine Florida-based Insiders, VISIT FLORIDA has added two international Insiders to our roster of vacation experts. Kylie Jenkins, representing the United Kingdom-Ireland and Wiebke Flegel-Wult from Germany, are the newest internationally-based Florida Insiders generating content and providing insight specifically for international visitors to the Sunshine State. Continue reading »
Tracy Vaughan
Director, International Sales & Marketing
Happy Holidays! Today, VISIT FLORIDA put the finishing touches on our annual digital holiday card and sent out it to many of our friends, colleagues and fans around the world. Since we may not have everyone’s email on file, we’ve posted it toYouTube and are sharing it through Sunshine Matters, as well. We had a lot of fun making the card and hope it brings a warm smile to your face during this holiday season.
The U.S. Travel Association recently held its annual Marketing Outlook Forum in Ft. Worth, Texas. The forum provides an opportunity for attendees to network with fellow tourism industry representatives from other states and serves as a great chance to learn and gain insight into what experts see as the trends for the coming year.
The following are some of the key takeaways I learned from the conference related to the economy, consumer confidence, business travel, international travel and the changing U.S. population. Continue reading »
