Sunshine Matters

As the official destination marketing organization charged with promoting Florida as a leisure travel and meetings destination, VISIT FLORIDA plans and implements a wide variety of sales and marketing initiatives.  Our goal is to deliver the right message, through the right medium, to the right audience, at the right time, in order to maximize the economic impact of travel to the Sunshine State.

The 2013-2014 Marketing Plan will serve as the road map that guides all VISIT FLORIDA sales and marketing efforts for the upcoming fiscal year.  The new plan was developed by VISIT FLORIDA staff based on guidance, input and insight from the Florida tourism industry as represented by members of our marketing committees, which include:

• Advertising & Internet
• Communications
• Culture, Heritage, Rural & Nature
• Industry Relations
• International
• Promotions
• Meetings & Travel Trade
• Visitor Services

The 2013-2014 marketing planning process began in December 2012 when representatives of Florida’s tourism industry, including members of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors and committees, met at the annual Marketing Retreat to set industry priorities for our marketing efforts.  Addressing both near-term needs as well as long-term goals, the industry identified strategic marketing objectives and helped prioritize initiatives for inclusion in this year’s Marketing Plan.

With the strategic direction provided by the industry in general and the individual marketing committees, staff developed a proposed marketing plan and budget.  This plan was then vetted through each marketing committee, as well as the Marketing Council Steering Committee, and forwarded to the Board of Directors for their consideration.  The process was completed during last month’s Board of Directors meeting, when the group voted to officially approve the new Marketing Plan.

An online interactive version of the 2013-2014 Marketing Plan was presented to VISIT FLORIDA’s Industry Partners during a webinar held earlier this week.  An archived video of the webinar is available via our Learning Library.

In addition to the new Marketing Plan, VISIT FLORIDA provides our Industry Partners with a host of other research tools to assist with making the most effective marketing planning decisions possible.  Those tools include our online Marketing Planner and the annual Visitor Study.  For those who are not VISIT FLORIDA Partners, I invite you to learn more about the benefits of partnering with us at VISITFLORIDA.org/join or by calling the industry hotline at (877) 435-2872.