Sunshine Matters

Memorial Day weekend marked the unofficial start of summer, which ushers in extended hours at VISIT FLORIDA’s four highway Florida Welcome Centers now through Labor Day.  As an accommodation to visitor’s requests, the Florida Welcome Centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during this heavy tourism season.  It is projected that the added hours will capture 3-5 percent of the daily visitor total.

As a fun way to engage visitors, and showcase all there is to see and do in the Sunshine State, each of the four highway Florida Welcome Centers set up special displays that allow travelers to learn more about what’s happening in Florida at certain times of year.  The “Own a Welcome Center” program allows VISIT FLORIDA’s Industry Partners to create a highly-visual theme that takes over the interior of the facility for a limited period of time.

The Walt Disney World Resort is in the midst of their interior takeover, which will be featured in the Florida Welcome Centers until the end of June.  Disney’s takeover theme is “Rock Your Disney Side” and showcases wall-covering images of the Animal Kingdom’s thrilling Expedition Everest roller coaster, Epcot’s newly renovated Test Track, and the Magic Kingdom’s brand new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Disney has also taken over the Florida Welcome Centers’ modernized photo-stand – a computerized photo stand where a camera inserts a guest’s photo into a generated template, such as a Disney Dwarf, which guests can then send directly to personal social media pages.  VISIT FLORIDA partnered with Monster Media to incorporate these photo-ops in the Florida Welcome Centers.

Following Disney, Universal Orlando Resort will take over the Florida Welcome Centers during July, August and September.  Displays will feature the brand new Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley and the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts roller coaster, which is set to open this summer.

Also debuting this summer at the Welcome Centers is VISIT FLORIDA’s seashell guide – Collecting Seashells on Florida’s Beaches.  This colorful foldout is fun and filled with useful information for visitors who want to collect shells on any of Florida’s beaches.

Finally, VISIT FLORIDA Welcome Centers are celebrating Florida Fishing Month.  Sponsored by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Welcome Centers will feature boats, fishing equipment and information throughout the month of June.  Last week, the I-10 Florida Welcome Center hosted an Industry Trade Show featuring 21 tourism industry participants with more than 3,000 visitors in attendance.

All the VISIT FLORIDA Partners participating in these monthly programs are guaranteed added exposure to the thousands of visitors who stop in to the Florida Welcome Centers each day.  For more information on how to get involved with the Florida Welcome Center programs and gain more exposure for your local tourism businesses, contact Annette Larson, Visitor Services Coordinator, at alarson@VISITFLORIDA.org.