Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA was on site today as the Miami Seaquarium held a reception and press briefing to announce a special celebration of the 50th anniversary of the “Flipper” television show that will bring “A Year Full of Wonder” to South Florida.  I was proud to be asked to kick off the event by reminding those in attendance of the worldwide attention “Flipper” brought to the Sunshine State back in the sixties. Continue reading »

Last week, Florida played host to more than 40 of Canada’s most productive and prolific media at the Society of American Travel Writers’ Canadian Chapter Annual Conference held at the Hyatt Regency in Sarasota.   In addition to their general business meeting and professional development series, attendees took part in the Media Marketplace showcasing several local VISIT FLORIDA Partners.  As part of the conference, media also had the opportunity to do site visits to Sarasota area attractions such as the Ringling Museum, Big Cat Habitat and the outdoor sculpture exhibit at Bayfront Park. Continue reading »

Florida Encounter, presented by VISIT FLORIDA, was held last week at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach County.  Now in its’ 32nd year, this Florida Encounter was recharged and re-energized with a variety of new or improved features that definitely added to the success. Continue reading »

The Florida tourism industry is in the unique position of having attained so much success in recent years that we now face the challenge of determining how best to continue to build on our momentum.  To that end, nearly 200 Florida tourism industry leaders met this week at the annual VISIT FLORIDA Marketing Retreat to review research and hear from experts in order to provide input on the development of a strategic marketing plan for the years to come. Continue reading »

Each year, VISIT FLORIDA conducts a survey to determine the return on investment from our domestic advertising campaign.  I am pleased to share that VISIT FLORIDA’s Spring 2013 “Must Be the Sunshine” advertising efforts generated $390 in traveler spending and $23 in new sales tax revenue for every $1 of advertising spend.  These results were unveiled during today’s Advertising & Internet Committee meeting at the annual VISIT FLORIDA Marketing Retreat. Continue reading »