Florida ranks second among all 50 states in total international visitation and first in visitor spending. In 2010 alone, Florida’s tourism industry brought in 11.1 million international visitors from 144 different countries who spent $10.6 billion. As a unique opportunity for increasing international visitation to the state and improving the Sunshine State’s economy, VISIT FLORIDA has now expanded the Florida Insider Program to reach overseas audiences.
In addition to our nine Florida-based Insiders, VISIT FLORIDA has added two international Insiders to our roster of vacation experts. Kylie Jenkins, representing the United Kingdom-Ireland and Wiebke Flegel-Wult from Germany, are the newest internationally-based Florida Insiders generating content and providing insight specifically for international visitors to the Sunshine State. Continue reading »
Tracy Vaughan
Director, International Sales & Marketing
Happy Holidays! Today, VISIT FLORIDA put the finishing touches on our annual digital holiday card and sent out it to many of our friends, colleagues and fans around the world. Since we may not have everyone’s email on file, we’ve posted it toYouTube and are sharing it through Sunshine Matters, as well. We had a lot of fun making the card and hope it brings a warm smile to your face during this holiday season.
The U.S. Travel Association recently held its annual Marketing Outlook Forum in Ft. Worth, Texas. The forum provides an opportunity for attendees to network with fellow tourism industry representatives from other states and serves as a great chance to learn and gain insight into what experts see as the trends for the coming year.
The following are some of the key takeaways I learned from the conference related to the economy, consumer confidence, business travel, international travel and the changing U.S. population. Continue reading »
Against the backdrop of increasing competition, massive disruption, and revolutionary technological advancements, 167 Florida tourism industry leaders met at the annual VISIT FLORIDA Marketing Retreat to begin to set the course for VISIT FLORIDA’s 2012-2013 Marketing Plan. Continue reading »
As the college football regular season comes to a close, I am proud to announce the winning university in the Florida Fan Game contest. The Florida Fan Game is an initiative of VISIT FLORIDA’s Share A Little Sunshine program, engaging Floridians to support tourism by inviting friends and family to visit the state. The head football coaches at six of Florida’s major universities called on their fans to send digital invitations, earning points for their school in the Florida Fan Game. With more than 23,000 invitations sent, the University of Florida has earned the title of having “Florida’s No. 1 Fans.” Continue reading »
