Sunshine Matters

Brand USA launched its USA MegaFam 2016 last week, which included seven itineraries spanning 16 states with destinations hosting a total of 100 travel agents, travel consultants and reservation specialists.  The “Southern Shine” itinerary kicked off in the Sunshine State before moving on to locations in Georgia and South Carolina, and concluding with a finale presentation in California today.  The “Southern Shiners” group included 15 elite travel agents from England, Scotland and Ireland who were hand-picked by Brand USA.

To host the “Southern Shiners” in grand style, VISIT FLORIDA and seven of our Industry Partners organized a non-stop itinerary that included visits to Kissimmee, Orlando, St. Augustine and Amelia Island.  The agents began their journey with an overnight stay at The Retreat at ChampionsGate just outside Kissimmee and an airboat ride and wildlife tour at Wild Florida.  Next up was Orlando’s Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, where the star attractions were The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and an evening with the Blue Man Group.  The group then made a special stop in St. Augustine to squeeze in a treasure hunt in the historic downtown area where the agents saw lots of Florida firsts.  The last stop was Amelia Island and a trip to Fernandina Beach so the group could sink their toes in some of Florida’s world-famous sand.

Brand USA selected the agents for the “Southern Shine” group based on their chosen destinations of interest, their number of bookings to the U.S. on American Airlines and British Airways, and the number of badges they had received in the USA Discovery Program, an online training program that seeks to educate and inspire travel trade to sell the United States as a tourist destination.  This program is a one-stop shop for the USA, offering bite-sized information that’s easily accessible and expansive by covering multi-state experiences.  Agents complete the training sessions by taking a quiz and, once passed, they earn Specialist badges.

Florida is a well-known destination for more than 15 million international visitors, including 1.7 million from the U.K. in 2015 alone.  However, many times travel firms have to sell a product sight unseen and rely solely on research, ratings, reviews, recommendations, their colleagues and others personal experiences to vet properties and attractions.  Being selected to participate in the MegaFam means those agents were given the opportunity to bring their online training to life and see first-hand the wide range of tourism products Florida has to offer their clients.

VISIT FLORIDA would like to thank our Partners at Experience Kissimmee, Wild Florida, Visit Orlando, Universal Orlando Resorts, Florida’s Historic Coast and the Amelia Island CVB for creating an itinerary that truly made the Sunshine State shine. For more information on VISIT FLORIDA’s international travel trade marketing efforts, contact me at aabney@VISIT FLORIDA.org.