Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA, in partnership with the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA), has created an online training program for front-line employees in the hospitality and tourism industry.  Before rolling the program out to the industry, VISIT FLORIDA has selected 11 DMOs to participate in a trial.  We will monitor participation and industry feedback through the end of the fiscal year before opening the module to all counties and creating additional training modules. Continue reading »

While the snow continues to fall in much of the U.S., VISIT FLORIDA is in the midst of our “Warmer Side of Winter” brand campaign.  Building on last year’s successful winter campaign, VISIT FLORIDA reminds potential travelers that Florida is the place to be this time of year, with a television spot featuring visitors literally flying over a host of the Sunshine State’s warm-weather settings. Continue reading »

During a press conference at the Tampa International Airport this morning, Governor Rick Scott announced that according to VISIT FLORIDA’s preliminary estimates 97.3 million visitors came to Florida in 2014, an increase of 3.9 percent over 2013.  This is the fourth consecutive record year for visitation to Florida, exceeding the previous high of 93.7 million in 2013.  The number of direct travel-related jobs in 2014 was also a record high, with 1,135,700 Floridians employed in the tourism industry, up 3.6 percent from 2013. Continue reading »

For the first time ever, VISIT FLORIDA has partnered with BET to launch a nationwide campaign for Black History Month.  VISIT FLORIDA collaborated with destination partners in Miami, Overtown, Orlando and Eatonville, as well as prominent African Americans in the travel and tourism community, to create a series of short stories that tell of the rich heritage and culture found around the state. Continue reading »

As residents in many northern cities dig out and set historic snowfall records, meteorologists say more snow is on the way.  Boston alone has been hit with more than 70 inches of snow in the last two weeks.  All of that snow makes a Florida vacation sound even more fantastic than usual. Continue reading »