Sunshine Matters

Florida Huddle 2014, held Jan. 14-16 in Palm Beach County, was a resounding success in its first year of being owned and operated by VISIT FLORIDA.  Three high scores for this travel trade show tell the story: more buyers, more time for appointments, more Florida travel business transactions.  Hosted by Discover Palm Beach County, the show was sold out, filling four local hotels and reflecting the tourism industry’s revitalized interest in the re-engineered show. Continue reading »

The U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board recently released the four recommendations they made to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker as priority issues for our industry to be examined over the next three years.  Their recommendations fell into four key buckets:  improving the visa and entry process, substantial investment in transportation infrastructure, reauthorization of Brand USA and expansion of public/private partnerships modeled after the relationship between the TTAB and Commerce Department. Continue reading »

In the last few weeks, VISIT FLORIDA has coordinated three separate familiarization (FAM) tours bringing international travel trade and media from Canada, Germany and Australia to the Sunshine State.  VISIT FLORIDA teamed up with our Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and other Florida industry Partners in hosting these trips, which allow foreign journalists and other international trade representatives to experience first-hand the wide variety of travel experiences our state has to offer and, in turn, relay that information to their clients and  readers. Continue reading »

While in Washington, D.C. for the Connecting America Through Travel conference and the U.S. Travel Association Board of Directors meeting, I was privileged today to have the opportunity to meet with Congressman Gus Bilirakis, U.S. Representative for Florida’s 12th Congressional District, and Patricia Rojas-Ungár, Vice President of Government Relations for the U.S. Travel Association. Continue reading »

This year marked the first time Brand USA, VISIT FLORIDA and our Partners participated in ITB Asia, held recently in Singapore.  VISIT FLORIDA co-branded a Florida Pavilion under the Brand USA umbrella along with our Partners from the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and Universal Orlando.  Now in its fifth year, more than 8,500 attendees participated in this three-day, business-to-business, appointment-based trade show which has quickly become the leading event of its kind for the Asian travel market. Continue reading »