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VISIT FLORIDA Welcome Center Traffic Up 2.2 Percent in 2014

By on February 25th, 2015 — 1:43pm

Visitation to VISIT FLORIDA’s five Official Florida Welcome Centers – located at I-10, I-75, I-95 , U.S. 231 and in the State Capitol – saw more than 2.5 million visitors in 2014, which is a 2.2% increase over 2013.  When visitors stop at the Welcome Centers, they get both information and a Florida experience.  To make sure the Welcome Centers are always fresh, entertaining and capture the spirit of the Sunshine State, VISIT FLORIDA implements a variety of creative elements, such as Takeovers, Seasonal Festivals, Themed Months and Special Topic Brochures.

Takeovers

The “Own a Welcome Center” program allows VISIT FLORIDA’s Industry Partners to create a highly-visual theme that takes over the interior of the facility for a limited period of time.  The Welcome Centers are currently in the midst of a LEGOLAND takeover, which will last through March.  Other takeovers planned this year include:

  • SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (April – June)
  • Universal Orlando Resort (July – September)
  • Homestead-Miami Speedway (October)
  • Daytona International Speedway (November)
  • VISIT FLORIDA’s newest Strategic Alliance Partner, Simon Shopping Destinations (December)

Seasonal Festivals

Throughout the year, VISIT FLORIDA hosts seasonal festivals at each of the four Official Florida Highway Welcome Centers.  The festivals are designed to give tourism industry participants the opportunity to promote and showcase their destination to thousands of Florida’s visitors firsthand.  The Winter Festival, recently held on January 30 at the I-95 Welcome Center, hosted 22 partners who interacted with over 4,000 visitors that day.  Upcoming festivals include:

  • Spring Festival hosted by the U.S. 231 Welcome Center (April 10)
  • Summer Festival hosted by the I-10 Welcome Center (June 5)
  • Fall Festival hosted by the I-75 Welcome Center (October 30)

Themed Months

In addition to seasonal festivals, the Welcome Centers also host themed months strategically tied to the time of year.  These monthly events allow our Sunshine State visitors to learn more about all the activities and experiences that Florida has to offer.  Some of the monthly themed events include:

  • Speed Month (February)
  • Spring Training Month (March)
  • Golf Month (May)
  • Fishing Month (June)
  • State Parks & Trails Month (July)
  • Camping Month (October)

Special Topic Brochures

New at the Welcome Centers this week, VISIT FLORIDA rolls out our second annual seashell guide.  This highly visual waterproof foldout is fun and filled with useful information for visitors who want to identify and collect shells on any of Florida’s beaches.

Beginning in March, the Welcome Centers will feature Spring Training Brochures. Each March while the weather is still frightful up North, Major League Baseball comes South to the Sunshine State with Florida playing host to 15 teams for their annual Spring Training.  As a way to showcase Spring Training in Florida to visitors, Welcome Center employees will be decked out in Florida baseball jerseys and handing out Spring Training brochures.  The brochures include all 15 Grapefruit League teams’ schedules, game locations, ticket prices and directions to the stadiums.

As always, we invite Florida tourism businesses of all sizes and types to become more involved.  By participating in the Official Florida Welcome Center programs, you are guaranteed added exposure to the thousands of visitors that stop in to the Welcome Centers each day.  For more information, contact Annette Larson, Visitor Services Coordinator, at alarson@VISITFLORIDA.org.  You can also view the VISIT FLORIDA Marketing Planner for a complete list of all the co-op marketing programs available throughout the year.


David Dodd
Vice President, Visitor Services
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