Sunshine Matters

While Viva Florida 500 is a year-long commemoration of the discovery of the Sunshine State by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon and his crew, April marks the celebration’s biggest push.  To kick things off, VISIT FLORIDA participated in a press conference hosted by Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner on April 2 to coincide with the actual anniversary of Ponce de Leon’s landing.  One of the big announcements was the impending arrival of El Galeón, a replica of Spanish ships from 500 years ago, that would be sailing from Spain to Puerto Rico and on to four ports of call in Florida. Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA manages the state’s five Official Florida Welcome Centers located at I-10, I-95, I-75, US 231 and the Florida Capitol.  As an invaluable resource for visitors to the Sunshine State, the knowledgeable and helpful staff in the Welcome Centers provide a wealth of information to millions of Florida visitors each year.  In addition to offering detailed travel planning advice, the centers also provide maps, brochures and even a free cup of Florida citrus juice! Continue reading »

I am pleased to announce that VISIT FLORIDA’s efforts to market the Sunshine State to visitors around the globe in 2012 had a significant influence on their travel planning decisions.  Results just in from the annual Return on Investment Influencer Study show that, of the surveyed respondents who had been to Florida in the past year, 38.8 percent were significantly influenced in their decision to visit the state by one or more VISIT FLORIDA marketing initiatives.  This figure represents a 0.7  percentage point increase over 2011 and marks the fourth consecutive year of ROI increases, which have risen a total of 12.1 percentage points since 2008.  Continue reading »

Today during the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s International Days, Governor Scott held a press conference to announce the signing of HB 7059 which repeals a law requiring an International Driving Permit for all foreign drivers visiting Florida.  The bill, which is the first to reach Governor Scott’s desk during this year’s legislative session, takes effect immediately and is retroactive to Jan.1, 2013. Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA, a half-hour show of Spanish-language travel stories reported and produced by VISITFLORIDA.com journalists, debuted this week on Bright House Networks from Tampa Bay to Orlando.

The travel series is airing at 1:30 and 8:30 p.m. through March 24 on InfoMás, Bright House’s 24-hour, Spanish-language news and information channel.  In the Bright House market, that channel is 900. Continue reading »