Sunshine Matters

As you may have seen, Governor Scott traveled the state yesterday celebrating VISIT FLORIDA receiving full funding and thanking the tourism industry for their hard work and hospitality in welcoming more than 112 million visitors last year. This victory would not have been possible without the help of the Governor, the Legislature and all of our Industry Partners. Continue reading »

I am proud to share that during a press conference at Jungle Island in Miami this morning, Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida set another record by welcoming 31.1 million visitors in the first quarter of 2017, the highest quarterly number ever. This represents a 2.5 percent increase over the same period in 2016. Even though Florida’s tourism industry is booming, the Florida Legislature cut VISIT FLORIDA’s budget by 67 percent for the upcoming fiscal year, putting Florida’s incredible growth and the many families and businesses that rely on the tourism industry at risk. Continue reading »

Yesterday, VISIT FLORIDA and nine other statewide organizations hosted the industry’s annual Florida Tourism Day at the Capitol. This year, there is no doubt that because of the participation of more than 600 of our Industry Partners from 44 counties, Tourism Day was a complete success.  The strength and importance of our industry was on full display for lawmakers in the Capitol.  Without the support of the job creators in our tourism industry, we would be fighting an uphill battle on our own. Continue reading »

During a press conference at the Brevard Zoo this morning, Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida set another record in tourism by welcoming the highest number of visitors in the state’s history with 112.8 million in 2016.  This is the sixth consecutive record year for visitation to Florida, exceeding the previous high of 106.6 million in 2015 by 5.9 percent.  Tourism jobs also hit a record high in 2016 of 1.4 million jobs, exceeding the previous record in 2015. Continue reading »

Today, Governor Rick Scott released his 2017-2018 “Fighting for Florida’s Future” budget.  I am pleased to share that the Governor recommended a $76 million investment in VISIT FLORIDA.  Through this budget allocation, VISIT FLORIDA and our local tourism marketing partners will continue to promote the state’s diverse destinations to visitors across the globe, creating jobs and generating vital state and local tax revenue that benefit all Floridians. Continue reading »