Sunshine Matters

Educational Forums in Chicago and Philadelphia

Travel trade, including travel agents, tour operators and other buyers and sellers of travel trade products, are a vital distribution network for Florida’s tourism industry. Research shows that nearly three percent of domestic visitors to Florida use a travel agent to book accommodations and five percent use a travel agent to reserve their air transportation. To stay top of mind with travel trade representatives in some of our key domestic markets, VISIT FLORIDA and our Industry Partners recently hosted several educational events for travel agents in Chicago and Philadelphia. Continue reading »

According to the latest statistics from Ctrip, China’s largest and most prestigious online travel agency, Orlando ranked No. 1 as the “Destination with the Fastest-Growing Air-Ticket Orders,” reflecting a 700% year-over-year increase from 2015.  To capitalize on this ranking, as well as the October 1 start of China’s Golden Week – the country’s second most popular long-haul vacation holiday – VISIT FLORIDA and several of our Industry Partners recently arranged to bring nine key Chinese tour operators on a four-city familiarization tour that included Orlando and other popular destinations in Central and South Florida. Continue reading »

The travel trade market, including travel agents, tour operators and other buyers and sellers of travel products, is a vital distribution network for Florida’s tourism industry.  Research shows that nearly five percent of domestic visitors to Florida use a travel agent to book accommodations and seven percent use a travel agent to reserve their air transportation.  To stay top of mind with travel trade representatives who book pre and post stays to our cruise destinations, VISIT FLORIDA recently exhibited at the Cruise Line International Association’s Cruise360 in Vancouver, B.C. Continue reading »

Travel trade, including travel agents, tour operators and other buyers and sellers of travel products, is a vital distribution network for Florida’s tourism industry.  Research shows that nearly five percent of domestic visitors to Florida use a travel agent to book accommodations and seven percent use a travel agent to reserve their air transportation.  To stay top of mind with travel trade representatives in some of our key domestic markets, VISIT FLORIDA and our Industry Partners have recently hosted several educational events for travel agents in Dallas and Chicago. Continue reading »

To leverage travel trade and media already visiting the Sunshine State for IPW, VISIT FLORIDA organized six highly-successful post-event familiarization (FAM) tours of various Florida destinations.  These FAM tours offered a strategic way for buyers and media to experience first-hand a wide range of destinations throughout the state in a short amount of time.  The 88 FAM participants, coming from all over the world, visited some of Florida’s great hidden gems – locations that showed off the state’s natural, historical, fun, unique and unusual sides. Continue reading »