Sunshine Matters

Last month, in an effort to keep Florida top of mind with international travelers, VISIT FLORIDA joined more than 6,000 attendees from over 70 countries in Denver, Colorado for this year’s IPW—the travel industry’s premier international marketplace and the largest generator of travel to the U.S.

IPW, which took place May 19-23, gathers travel professionals—including U.S. destinations, hotels, attractions, sports teams and transportation companies, and international tour operators, buyers and wholesalers from around the world—to meet in one place to help bring the world to America.

This year’s event was attended by approximately 1,000 U.S. travel organizations, more than 1,300 international and domestic buyers, and over 500 members of the media. Over the course of five days, there were 100,000 prescheduled business meetings between suppliers and buyers, expected to result in $4.7 billion in future international travel to the U.S.

VISIT FLORIDA was well represented with a huge presence on the trade show floor. In addition to key staff from across the organization, VISIT FLORIDA brought a strong contingent of international representatives from Canada, China, Germany, Latin America and the UK. The VISIT FLORIDA International team conducted over 180 pre-scheduled appointments with tour operators and travel trade professionals, and the Public Relations team held more than 50 media meetings in addition to facilitating executive interviews with international and domestic writers in the IPW Media Marketplace.

Elvi Cal, Vice President Product Development, TravelBrands, said, “We met with the VISIT Florida team at IPW in Denver mid-May and had very constructive discussions on driving more Canadians to the state. For TravelBrands, Florida is key to our future growth in the US, and from a Canadian outbound travel perspective, the state leads with 17% of visitors and also dominates in visitor nights and spending so it is crucial we work together to continue this trend. TravelBrands and VISIT FLORIDA have worked together for many years and the relationship is extremely valuable so we are thrilled to be key partners in possible joint marketing ventures.”

Elena Wang, Assistant General Manager, Galaxy Tour, INC, said, “As the top wholesalers in China, Galaxy Tours has developed in depth Florida-only products for the market and saw a big increase for Florida-related products during 2017 and the 2018 Chinese New Year holidays. With Delta launching their direct flight from PVG to ATL, Galaxy Tours would like to keep working with VISIT FLORIDA to develop more Florida products showcasing the diversity of Florida.”

To learn more about our international trade show efforts, visit VISITFLORIDA.org and check out our online Marketing Planner.

In an effort to share Florida’s sunshine with Chinese travelers, staff from VISIT FLORIDA’s International Marketing and Public Relations teams recently hosted a ten-day sales mission in China.

Developed by the VISIT FLORIDA International Marketing and Avia Reps China, the China sales mission took place from April 16-26, in Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shanghai. Ten Industry Partners joined VISIT FLORIDA to engage top travel agents, tour operators and media though sales meetings, appointments, seminars and networking events.

China, one of Florida’s key global markets, is ranked in the top 10 countries for international visitation to the state. Last year, of the 116.5 million total people who came to Florida, nearly 286,000 were from China. Additionally, among Chinese travelers interested in visiting the U.S., interest in the Sunshine State has increased 18 percent over the past four years.

In each city, VISIT FLORIDA hosted VIP lunches for 50 key Chinese travel trade professionals to encourage them to extend their Florida offerings. In addition, half-day seminars were held in the afternoon for targeted travel agencies including major outbound tour operators, wholesalers, U.S. receptive tour operators, airlines and other China-based trade associates. In Beijing and Shanghai, one-on-one appointments were scheduled, sales calls were conducted, and VISIT FLORIDA hosted media receptions where Industry Partners met with top-tier journalists and digital influencers to discuss possible story ideas.

Also while in Shanghai, VISIT FLORIDA was invited to attend the first ShanghaiWow! Hotel and Travel Forum and Award Ceremony. VISIT FLORIDA was honored with a Top 10 Destination award and five Florida locations took home destination distinctions of their own. Orlando was awarded a Best Family Travel Destination; Miami won Best Culture Destination; Tampa Bay was presented with Best Culinary Destination; Fort Lauderdale received Best Shopping Destination; and the Florida Keys collected Best Driving Destination. Also as part of the award ceremony, ShanghaiWow! hosted a symposium for travel industry leaders where VISIT FLORIDA shared marketing insights and strategies for the China market.

VISIT FLORIDA could not have had such a successful China sales mission without our Industry Partners in attendance – Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, Universal Orlando Resort, Walt Disney World, Miami Sunny, EZ Hospitality (Rodeway Inn & Suites), Grand Beach Hotel, Sincerely Vacations, ShengDa Travel, Royal Caribbean Cruise, and Coral Castle.

Fernando Harb, Senior Vice President Tourism Sales, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, said, “Traveling to China on business can be intimidating especially due to language barriers. VISIT FLORIDA’s recent China Sales Mission made it as easy as travelling domestically. Everything was expertly coordinated! VISIT FLORIDA provided the best platform to meet with the top tour operators, premiere media representatives and the travel agent community in four major cities. Quite literally, all you have to do is show up and sell, they take care of everything else!”

Izzy Fintz, General Manager, EZ Hospitality, said, “The VISIT FLORIDA China Mission was an extremely valuable investment for my business. The entire trip was professionally organized and executed to make the most out of the two weeks in China. After meeting with travel trade professionals and learning more about Chinese travel trends, the Rodeway Inn and Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport Cruise Port is better equipped to serve the market. I look forward to working with the contacts made during this mission and hope to nurture these relationships on future China sales missions.”

To learn more about VISIT FLORIDA’s international marketing efforts, visit VISITFLORIDA.org and check out our online Marketing Planner.

Brazil is one of Florida’s key global markets, ranked third for international visitation to Florida. Last week, to ensure the Sunshine State remains top of mind with Brazilian travelers, VISIT FLORIDA’s International Marketing and Public Relations teams participated in World Travel Market Latin America 2018.

Now in its sixth year, WTM Latin America was held April 3-5 at the Expo Center Norte in São Paulo, Brazil. As the world’s leading event for the travel industry in Latin America, the three-day show attracted 6,000 travel professionals and 598 exhibiting companies.

At this year’s convention, VISIT FLORIDA was joined by attendees from Industry Partners including Strategic Alliance Partners, DMOs and CVBs. In addition to coordinating the Florida Stand, VISIT FLORIDA held 25 trade show meetings, 21 media appointments, and hosted a media reception attended by 22 journalists and influencers.

Margarita Castaneda, Director of Marketing, Latin America and Caribbean, for the Hertz Corporation, said, “Our partnership with VISIT FLORIDA is extremely valuable and offers Hertz the opportunity to introduce our new brands to the Latin American market. Florida is the number one destination for Brazilians, so we were thrilled to be a part of the VISIT FLORIDA presence at WTM Latin America.”

Jack Wert, Executive Director of the Naples, Marco Island and Everglades CVB, said, “We would not be able to attend WTM Latin America without our partnership with VISIT FLORIDA. Having a presence in international markets is extremely important to our growth and being at this event with VISIT FLORIDA provides an opportunity to show Brazilian tour operators, travel agents and media that there is more to Florida than they know.”

VISIT FLORIDA could not have had such success at WTM Latin America without our Industry Partners, the Beaches of Ft. Myers & Sanibel, the Greater Ft. Lauderdale CVB, the Hertz Corporation, Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB, Simon Shopping Destinations and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater.

To learn more about VISIT FLORIDA’s international marketing efforts, visit VISITFLORIDA.org and check out our online Marketing Planner.

The VISIT FLORIDA team, including President & CEO Ken Lawson, stands with Industry Partners at WTM Latin America

VISIT FLORIDA and Industry Partners network with travel professionals at WTM Latin America.

Today, I am proud to announce the appointment of Frank Belzer, Susan Jacobs and Scott Shalley to the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors. Belzer, Jacobs and Shalley were confirmed as members of the VISIT FLORIDA board during the recent Enterprise Florida Board of Directors meeting held in West Palm Beach on March 15. The new members, who have already been approved by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, fill vacated seats.  

I’m very excited to have these three distinguished leaders join our Board of Directors and I look forward to their contributions. Their diverse experience and perspectives will be valuable as we work to strengthen Florida’s share of the global travel market.

Frank Belzer  is the SVP of Sales Management at Universal Orlando Resort where he oversees all domestic and international sales strategies. He fills the regional seat and was appointed for a term beginning March 23, 2018, and ending June 30, 2019.

Susan Jacobs is the Senior Vice President of Marketing at The Hertz Corporation where she leads the growth efforts for the Dollar and Thrifty brands, as well as Value Added Services marketing and creative services. She fills the dedicated car rental seat and was appointed for a term beginning April 1, 2018, and ending June 30, 2018.

Scott Shalley is the President & CEO of the Florida Retail Federation (FRF) where he maintains responsibility for all areas of FRF operations including oversight of FRF Services, FRF Realty and other related ventures. He fills the dedicated retail seat and was appointed for a term beginning March 23, 2018, and ending June 30, 2018.

VISIT FLORIDA’s 31-member Board consists of 16 regional seats appointed to represent all geographic areas of the state, and 15 additional seats that represent key sectors of the Florida tourism industry. The VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors is the organization’s private sector governing body that, along with the members of its 11 committees, provide guidance, input and insight into the evolution of VISIT FLORIDA’s marketing programs.

To learn more about the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors, visit https://www.visitflorida.org/about-us/who-we-are/board-of-directors/.

      
(From left to right: Frank Belzer, Susan Jacobs, Scott Shalley)