Sunshine Matters

I am pleased to announce the unveiling of the VISIT FLORIDA German TripTuner tool, Finde Dein Florida. VISIT FLORIDA partnered with TripTuner, the technology behind the award-winning Florida Beach Finder to create a compelling new discovery engine to serve German travelers.  Promoted in consumer media and on trade partner websites, this image-rich tool is the perfect resource for travelers to personalize their travel options to Florida’s beaches, attractions and beyond. Continue reading »

This week in Louisville, the U.S. Travel Association held its annual Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO) conference.  During the event, the winners of the National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD) 2014 Mercury Awards were announced.  I am very proud to share that VISIT FLORIDA won the Mercury Award in the Public Relations Campaign category for our Google Street View Trekker project, as well as the new Judges Choice award. Continue reading »

I am proud to announce that today’s launch of the Florida Beach Finder marks the culmination of a year-long project to showcase the state’s beaches to visitors from around the globe.  VISIT FLORIDA has unveiled online tools allowing travelers to virtually walk hundreds of miles of Sunshine State beaches – from legendary locations such as Miami Beach to lesser-known sanctuaries such as Cayo Costa. Continue reading »

Today, VISIT FLORIDA celebrated completion of a four-month-long beach walk that gathered panoramic, step-by-step footage of Florida’s beaches, to be published by Google Maps in spring 2014.  Two-person trekker teams sharing a backpack equipped with a Google Street View camera walked Florida’s 825 miles of beaches, a journey of nearly 2 million steps along the shorelines of pristine parks and chic resorts.  VISIT FLORIDA officials and Florida tourism industry leaders cheered as walkers completed the last mile of the journey Wednesday morning in Miami Beach’s South Pointe Park. Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA applied for and has recently received a $500,000 grant from BP’s Gulf Seafood and Tourism Promotional Fund.  In keeping with the application, the grant funding was provided specifically to assist with expenses related to VISIT FLORIDA’s Google Street View Trekker project.  The BP grant funding will help cover expenses related to the project, including the cost for the trekkers to travel the state, production of the captured images and promotion of the final product on Google Maps. Continue reading »