Sunshine Matters

China represents the fastest growing outbound travel market in the world, with nearly 2.2 million Chinese tourists visiting the United States in 2014.  Not only do visitors from China come frequently, but they stay longer and spend more than any other inbound international group in the United States.  With these key facts in mind, VISIT FLORIDA teamed up with The Florida Keys & Key West and The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau to bring six Chinese journalists to South Florida to explore arts, culture and nature. Continue reading »

I am pleased to announce that the 2016-2017 VISIT FLORIDA grant application period is now open.  VISIT FLORIDA administers four grants to assist industry businesses with their marketing efforts to showcase the state’s tremendous tourism assets.  Those grants include the Advertising Matching Grants, Minority Convention Grants, Small Business Grants and Cultural, Heritage, Rural and Nature Tourism Grants.  The application period for these grants begins on December 17, 2015 and ends on February 8, 2016. Continue reading »

As we wrap up what is likely to be a fifth consecutive record year for the Florida tourism industry, I would especially like to thank those who serve on VISIT FLORIDA’s Board of Directors and our various committees for their passionate leadership.  The strength of our organization and the success of our marketing initiatives are directly correlated to the active and engaged participation of our industry Partners.  Nowhere was that more apparent than earlier this month when more than 200 industry leaders participated in the VISIT FLORIDA Tourism Leadership Summit to help set the course for 2016 and beyond. Continue reading »

As the 2015 College Football regular season comes to a close and the bowl games begin to kick off this weekend, VISIT FLORIDA is pleased to share the reinvention of our historical collegiate bowl games initiative.  VISIT FLORIDA’s new Collegiate Bowl Program is predominantly a social play designed to start social dialog before, during and after the scheduled games. Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA recently hosted the 2015 Florida Tourism Leadership Summit, an evolution of our annual Marketing Retreat, at the beautiful Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort.  Our goal for the event was to provide thought leadership that elevates the ability of tourism industry leaders to drive change and better serve Florida visitors. Continue reading »