Sunshine Matters

Now in its 46th year, the annual Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism is coming up September 11-13.  In just two weeks at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando, attendees can count on being inspired, engaged, energized and educated by some of the tourism industry’s top thinkers – and receive business insights that lead to big ideas.  Here’s what some of this year’s speakers will be talking about: Continue reading »

The Meetings and Events Team recently hosted the first in a series of webinars aimed at showcasing short- and long-term future Florida Meetings Initiatives for FY 2013-14.  Over 100 attendees tuned in to hear about the strategies and plans for exposure and partner participation.

Meetings, conventions and business travel account for 12% of the more than 90 million visitors Florida welcomes each year.  These business travelers, on average, spend $244 per day, which has increased 35% over the last four years. Continue reading »

Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that according to preliminary estimates* released by VISIT FLORIDA – the state’s official tourism marketing corporation – 23.4 million visitors came to Florida in the second quarter of 2013 (April-June), an increase of 2.6 percent over the same period in 2012.  This makes Q2 2013 the largest second quarter for visitation in the state’s history. Continue reading »

SunPass electronic tolling transponders can now be purchased at the vending machines at three Official Florida Welcome Centers and an Interstate 4 rest area, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise officials announced today. Continue reading »

In July, a team of trekkers from VISIT FLORIDA began an odyssey to capture stunning images of the Sunshine State’s 825 miles of beaches using Google’s Street View Trekker technology.  On Friday, the two-person team completed the Northwest Florida leg of the journey, which began on the Gulf Islands National Seashore and ended on the western tip of the St. Joe Peninsula and Crooked Island. Continue reading »