Sunshine Matters

A lot has changed since Juan Ponce de Leon first set foot on La Florida.  Today, a countless number of different cultures thrive together in Florida.  The impact of their stories, traditions and tastes have woven together to form the vibrant, exciting and energetic fabric of our communities. Continue reading »

While VISIT FLORIDA focuses the majority of our efforts on marketing the Sunshine State to visitors around the globe, we are also highly engaged at the national level through service on and participation in U.S. Department of Commerce and Brand USA efforts. Continue reading »

According to preliminary estimates* we released today, 22.1 million visitors came to Florida in the second quarter of 2012 (April-June), an increase of 1.3 percent over the same period in 2011.  Direct travel-related employment in Florida also rose 1.1 percent to 1,041,900, adding 11,300 jobs since this time one year ago and representing the largest employment total since first quarter 2008. Continue reading »

I would like to congratulate Delray Beach for being named the “Most Fun Small Town in America” in Rand McNally/USA Today’s 2012 Best of the Road contest.  Kudos to Deland as well, who was the first runner-up in the “Most Patriotic” category.  Other categories included “Most Beautiful,” “Best for Food” and “Friendliest” small town. Continue reading »

I’m pleased to share that today VISIT FLORIDA announced the lineup of speakers and special events for our 45^th Annual Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism being held September 5-7, 2012 at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld.  For more than four decades, this event has been recognized as the premier educational conference for the Florida tourism industry, providing the opportunity for participants to learn the latest in marketing strategies, receive critical industry research data and share best practices. Continue reading »