Sunshine Matters

Today, President Obama provided a progress report on his National Travel and Tourism Strategy and touted the significant role the industry plays in growing the economy and creating jobs.   On behalf of the more than 1.1 million Floridians employed in the state’s tourism industry, I applaud President Obama and his administration for their efforts to support increased international travel to the U.S. Continue reading »

I am proud to announce that today’s launch of the Florida Beach Finder marks the culmination of a year-long project to showcase the state’s beaches to visitors from around the globe.  VISIT FLORIDA has unveiled online tools allowing travelers to virtually walk hundreds of miles of Sunshine State beaches – from legendary locations such as Miami Beach to lesser-known sanctuaries such as Cayo Costa. Continue reading »

I am sharing a message from U.S. Travel Association President & CEO Roger Dow on the importance of offering your support for the reauthorization of Brand USA.

Dear Travel Colleague:

Following testimony by U.S. Travel and other industry leaders last week to the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Tourism, Competitiveness and Innovation, media continue to report on the travel community’s appeal for Congressional support of programs that help grow the economy. Our work is far from done—and your voice is critical moving forward. Continue reading »

I am delighted to share that today Governor Scott announced VISIT FLORIDA’s preliminary estimates* showing 26.7 million visitors came to Florida in the first quarter of 2014 (January-March), an increase of 2.0 percent over the same period in 2013.  This represents the largest quarter for visitation Florida has ever experienced, exceeding the previous high of 26.2 million in Q1 2013.  The average number of direct travel-related jobs in Q1 2014 was also a record high, with 1,125,300 Floridians employed in the tourism industry – up 3.5 percent from the same period in 2013. Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA’s International Team and several of our Industry Partners recently participated in the Arabian Travel Market held in Dubai which attracted more than 20,000 attendees.  The VISIT FLORIDA booth, located in the Brand USA Pavilion in the America’s section, included a stand with Universal Orlando Resort and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau who brought in their partners World Wide Transportation and South Beach Boutique Hotels.  This is the second year that VISIT FLORIDA, Universal Orlando Resort and the Greater Miami CVB have had a presence at the show and both years proved to be highly successful. Continue reading »