Sunshine Matters

I am pleased to announce that VISIT FLORIDA’s preliminary estimates* for the first quarter of 2013 (January-March) show that 26 million visitors came to Florida, an increase of 4.7 percent over the same period in 2012.  This makes the first quarter of 2013 the biggest quarter for visitation in the history of Florida tourism.

“More people visited Florida this past quarter than ever before,” Governor Scott said. “Record visitation to the Sunshine State means more jobs and opportunities for Florida’s families, which is great news.”

Direct travel-related employment in Q1 2013 was also a record high, with 1,087,700 Floridians employed in the tourism industry.  This figure represents a 3.4 percent increase, adding 35,700 jobs since this time one year ago.

“Every 85 visitors we welcome support one Florida job,” said Glenn Hastings, Chairman of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors and Executive Director of the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council. “Florida’s hospitality industry added nearly 36,000 new career-building jobs this quarter alone, marking the 36th straight month of job growth for the tourism sector.”

As additional data continues to come in, VISIT FLORIDA has revised its preliminary 2012 visitation number to 91.4 million.  This figure includes 77.6 million domestic visitors, 10.2 million overseas travelers and 3.6 million Canadians.

Coming off of a record year that has proven to be even stronger than we initially estimated only adds to the momentum VISIT FLORIDA has been building on to make Florida the No. 1 travel destination in the world.

Additional Preliminary Data:

An estimated 21.8 million domestic visitors came to Florida during the first quarter of 2013, representing a 4 percent increase from the same period in 2012.  Florida experienced a 3.9 percent increase in Canadian visitors at 1.5 million and an 11.3 percent increase in overseas visitors with 2.7 million in Q1 2013 compared to Q1 2012.

Primary data collected at Florida’s 14 major airports in the first quarter of 2013 reflect a 1.2 percent increase in total enplanements from the same period in 2012.  Tourism and recreation taxable sales for Florida increased year-over-year in January and February 2013 (last reported month), representing a 5.1 percent increase over the same period in 2012.  The Average Daily Room Rate rose 6.8 percent to $136.45 and the occupancy rate for Florida hotels increased 2.3 percentage points to 74.1 percent in Q1 2013 compared to Q1 2012.

To view additional Florida visitor data, please go the Research page on VISIT FLORIDA’s media website.

I am pleased to announce that VISIT FLORIDA has recently created a department tasked with increasing the involvement and investment by current Partners, key industry stakeholders and non-endemic business entities in our marketing programs.  The new Marketing Solutions and Sales department was created to take on the role of managing and selling VISIT FLORIDA’s owned and operated assets, which include our e-Newsletters, printed map, online Epic Vacation Maker and other website advertising opportunities.  These efforts, which were previously performed by an outside firm, have now been fully integrated into the operations at the VISIT FLORIDA corporate office. Read more of this post »

Spring is always a busy time at our state’s Capitol building, and this season has been no exception.  The Official Florida Welcome Center at the state Capitol has certainly followed suit, working hard to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the legislative session that concluded last Friday. Read more of this post »

This week, Florida joins the rest of the nation in celebrating the importance of tourism during the annual National Travel & Tourism Week.  Held the first full week in May each year since 1984, tourism entities across America hold rallies, awards luncheons and other activities to help spotlight the power of travel. Read more of this post »

Governor Rick Scott and Hertz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark P. Frissora have announced that Hertz will relocate its worldwide headquarters to Estero, Florida.   Here is a statement VISIT FLORIDA released to the media following the official press conference:

“VISIT FLORIDA would like to congratulate our long-time strategic partner Hertz on the relocation of their global headquarters to the Sunshine State, said Will Seccombe, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA.  ”The addition of the world’s largest car rental brand to the No. 1 travel destination in the world is a win-win for Hertz and the Florida hospitality industry.  Congratulations to Governor Scott and Enterprise Florida for establishing a perfect climate for business that continues to attract world leaders like Hertz.” Read more of this post »