Sunshine Matters

Today we celebrate Florida Tourism Day at the Capitol as the industry’s annual opportunity to ensure our legislators know just how important tourism is to the Sunshine State.  And coming off of two consecutive record years of tourism spending and visitation, Florida’s tourism industry has a great story to tell. Continue reading »

I am pleased to share that today, during a meeting of the Florida Cabinet, Governor Rick Scott announced that according to preliminary estimates released by VISIT FLORIDA, visitors to the Sunshine State spent a record $71.8 billion, an increase of 6.8 percent over 2011.  This represents a record year of spending in 2012 by tourists in Florida, exceeding the previous highs of $67.2 billion in 2011 and $65.5 billion in 2007. Continue reading »

In order to share the message of all there is to see and do in the Sunshine State with travel writers in one of our biggest domestic markets, VISIT FLORIDA recently hosted two well-attended NYC media receptions.  The first was a luncheon for 26 consumer media guests, including contributors and staff with Fodors.com, Huffington Post, Ladies’ Home Journal, Travel + Leisure, Field & Stream, Successful Meetings, TravelingMom.com, The New York Daily News and several other digital and print publications. Continue reading »

Today the Florida tourism industry mourns the passing of one of our Founding Fathers.  Tom Staed served as VISIT FLORIDA’s chairman of the board of directors in 1997-1998 and was inducted into the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame Founders Club in 2001 and the Florida Council of Tourism Leaders in 2012.  Tom, a longtime Daytona Beach hotel operator, was a vital figure in the establishment of Florida’s Tourist Development Tax, as well as the assignment of the state’s tourism marketing responsibility to the Florida Commission on Tourism and the creation of VISIT FLORIDA as its operating company. Continue reading »

I am pleased to share with you the following press release that was sent out today by the Governor’s Press Office:

Governor Scott announced today that according to preliminary estimates* released by VISIT FLORIDA – the state’s official tourism marketing corporation – 89.3 million visitors came to Florida in 2012, an increase of 2.3 percent over 2011.  This represents a record year for visitation to Florida, exceeding the previous high of 87.3 million in 2011.  The number of direct travel-related jobs in 2012 was also a record high, with 1,030,600 Floridians employed in the tourism industry. Continue reading »