Sunshine Matters

Today the Florida tourism industry mourns the passing of one of our Founding Fathers.  Tom Staed served as VISIT FLORIDA’s chairman of the board of directors in 1997-1998 and was inducted into the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame Founders Club in 2001 and the Florida Council of Tourism Leaders in 2012.  Tom, a longtime Daytona Beach hotel operator, was a vital figure in the establishment of Florida’s Tourist Development Tax, as well as the assignment of the state’s tourism marketing responsibility to the Florida Commission on Tourism and the creation of VISIT FLORIDA as its operating company. Continue reading »

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 »

Meetings and conventions are big business for Florida and one of VISIT FLORIDA’s main platforms in attracting visitors to the Sunshine State.  Business travel to Florida generates approximately $219 per person per day to our economy, and those visitors have a very high potential for traveling back to Florida with family and friends. Continue reading »