Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA recently accompanied Visit Tampa Bay to Macau, China to focus on expanding the Sunshine State’s international market in India.  While there, Tampa secured a bid to host the 2014 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards.  The win highlights an opportunity for Florida to capitalize on India’s emerging travel market.

One out of every three Indian long-haul travelers is considering the U.S. as a potential travel destination.  Approximately 724,000 people visited the U.S. from India in 2012, up 9 percent from 2011 and ranking India 12th internationally in the number of U.S. visitors each year.  Much of this growth can be attributed to India’s improving economy, strengthened by a rising middle class.

So where does the Sunshine State come into play?  Florida welcomed 58,000 visitors from India in 2012, up 7.4 percent the previous year.  Although Indian long-haul travelers to the U.S. list shopping as a top activity, data on all Indian long-haul travelers shows that their most desired vacation activity is seeing beautiful scenery and exploring parks and protected areas.  With 161 state parks and 30 historic and archaeological sites encompassing nearly 800,000 acres, 10 state trails spanning more than 1,600 miles and 825 miles of pristine beaches, Florida fits the bill.

IIFA is Bollywood’s version of the Academy Awards, but on a much larger scale. To put things into perspective, Hollywood produces roughly 520 movies each year, while Bollywood creates more than 1,300.  India has a population of 1.2 billion, with an estimated 20 million additional Indians living around the globe.  With a global audience estimated to be more than 600 million viewers, the IIFA Awards takes place in a different destination each year, but has never before been held in the U.S.  Tampa’s selection to host is a win not just for the city, but also for Florida and the entire country.