Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA and six of our Industry Partners gathered last week in snowy Toronto to celebrate the upcoming launch of Air Canada’s new flight from Toronto to Jacksonville.  Beginning May 7, Air Canada will provide non-stop flights from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport to the Jacksonville International Airport.  Delegates from across the region banded together to help make this new service a reality. Continue reading »

In 2013, an estimated 69 million international tourists visited the United States spending approximately $180.7 billion on tourism-related goods and services.  Florida captured 22% of these visitors as we hosted over 15 million international tourists last year, a 9% increase over 2012.  The United States’ Travel and Tourism Strategy, launched in 2012, sets a goal of attracting 100 million international visitors by 2021.  This is in sync with VISIT FLORIDA’s own goal to reach 100 million visitors by 2015. Continue reading »

In support of the state’s No. 1 industry, Governor Scott met last week with a contingent of international airline executives and tour operators to discuss ways to increase airlift to Florida.  VISIT FLORIDA coordinated the event, which brought together key executives from Aer Lingus, British Airways, Copa Airlines, Etihad, Iceland Air, iTravel2000, Monarch Travel, Qatar Airways, Sunwing Travel and Tour America. Continue reading »

Florida’s tourism industry hosted 11.1 million international visitors from 144 different countries who spent $10.6 billion in 2010.  These figures represent a 15.6% increase in international visitors and a 23.4% increase in their spending over the previous year.  Air travelers make up 88% of Florida’s international visitors, an increase of 14% from the prior year.  Given that the vast majority of international visitors arrive by air, VISIT FLORIDA’s best avenue to continue to increase our overseas traveler numbers is by finding innovative ways to improve flight access to the Sunshine State. Continue reading »