Sunshine Matters

This week, the four Official Florida Welcome Centers located at I-10, I-75, I-95 and US-231 are not only sharing Florida vacation planning information with the nearly 40,000 visitors who will stop in, but are also raising awareness for roadway safety issues.  Known across the country as “Go Orange” Week, VISIT FLORIDA’s Welcome Center staff have partnered with the Florida Department of Transportation, the Florida Public Safety Institute, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and other state and local organizations for this annual campaign to remind motorists about the importance of safe driving on Florida’s roadways. Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA recently attended ITB Berlin, the world’s largest travel fair.  With an event this grand in scale and knowing that a picture is worth a thousand words, I thought it might be fun to share a photo essay to help tell the story.

The international travel market proved to be highly competitive, with more than 180 countries on-hand to promote their destinations to over 113,000 attendees. The VISIT FLORIDA booth was the largest in the USA pavilion, with more than 90 Florida industry representatives. Continue reading »

As part of today’s opening presentation for the Florida Association of Destination Marketing Organizations’ Industry Summit, I was proud to announce VISIT FLORIDA’s new founding partnership with Brand USA.  Patterned on the VISIT FLORIDA model as a public-private tourism marketing corporation, Brand USA was created in 2010 to encourage travelers from all over the world to visit the United States.  Through our base commitment of $1 million and significant in-kind investments, VISIT FLORIDA joins Marriott International, the Walt Disney Company and Best Western International as Brand USA’s founding travel partners. Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA manages the state’s five Official Florida Welcome Centers located at I-10, I-95, I-75, US 231 and the Florida Capitol. As an invaluable resource for visitors to the Sunshine State, the knowledgeable and helpful staff in the Welcome Centers provide a wealth of information to millions of Florida visitors each year.  In addition to offering detailed travel planning advice, the centers also provide maps, brochures and even a free cup of Florida citrus juice!

As a fun way to engage Welcome Center visitors, and showcase all there is to see and do in the Sunshine State, each of the four highway Welcome Centers set up special displays that allow travelers to learn more about what’s happening in Florida at certain times of the year.

Every March, Florida plays host to 15 Major League Baseball teams who hold their annual spring training in venues throughout the Sunshine State.  As a way to showcase spring training in Florida to the nearly 235,000 visitors who passed through the highway Welcome Centers in March, employees donned Florida Grapefruit League jerseys and shared information about the upcoming game schedules and locations. They also created interactive displays so visitors could take pictures with “players” from their favorite teams. Continue reading »

For the first time, Tourism Cares – a national non-profit organization based in Massachusetts – selected Florida for its annual Tourism Cares for America Project.  On March 29-30, nearly 250 volunteers from 20 states and Canada representing 80 different companies traveled to Pensacola to help with two equally worthy projects.  Over the two days, volunteers donated an estimated $25,000 in labor costs.

Part of the group worked to revitalize the 150-year old Pensacola Lighthouse.  Extensive painting projects to both the exterior and interior of the Lighthouse and museum were completed, as well as landscaping and parking lot upgrades to accommodate an increasing flow of visitors.  In addition to the labor, Tourism Cares awarded a $5,000 grant to the Pensacola Lighthouse to continue their restoration efforts. Continue reading »