Sunshine Matters

It’s that time of year again!  Nominations are now open for the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame. Begun in 2001, the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame acknowledges contemporary and historic figures whose vision, creativity and drive have had a positive and significant impact on the development of Florida as a desirable visitor destination.  Each year, one Hall of Fame inductee will be selected by the Florida Council of Tourism Leaders from among the nominations received, approved by the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors and then formally recognized during the Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism.  Continue reading »

The VISITFLORIDA.com Racing Team made its debut at the season-opening 53rd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona this past weekend.  The 2015 race season marks year two of VISIT FLORIDA’s partnership with Jim France’s International Speedway Corporation (ISC), the newly-named VISITFLORIDA.com Racing Team (formerly Spirit of Daytona Racing), the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Mazda USA.  Together, these four well-known entities make up the largest motorsports partnership of its kind aimed at aggressively driving tourism to Florida. Continue reading »

In November, VISIT FLORIDA announced the establishment of a new grant program as part of Discover Florida Health – the state’s official medical tourism program – to assist Florida businesses in promoting themselves as a medical tourism destination of choice.  I am pleased to share that, following an intensive 4-week judging process, VISIT FLORIDA has awarded 25 medical tourism grants totaling $3.1 million. Continue reading »

Today Governor Rick Scott released the 2015-16 “Keep Florida Working” budget.  I am happy to share that the Governor recommended an $85 million investment in VISIT FLORIDA.  With this increased funding, VISIT FLORIDA will continue to build on the state’s momentum and will be able to expand our successful integrated global marketing efforts. Continue reading »

This month, the Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) released a report on the state’s return on its investment in VISIT FLORIDA.  I am proud to share that the study found the state generated a positive ROI of 3.2, meaning that $3.20 in tax revenues were received from each dollar that the state invested in VISIT FLORIDA. Continue reading »