Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA was front and center during the 44th Annual U. S. Travel International Pow Wow held in Los Angeles.   The 5-day event had an estimated attendance of nearly 6,000 travel professionals, including more than 1,200 international and domestic buyers, 500 international and domestic media and 1,100 U.S. supplier companies exhibiting.  The appointment-based program attracted representatives from more than 70 countries who conducted more than 80,000 business appointments expected to generate in excess of $3.5 billion in future travel to the U.S.

During this year’s Pow Wow, VISIT FLORIDA’s international team had a full schedule of appointments with over 150 key tour operators on the trade show floor and spoke with 100 writers as part of the Media Marketplace event.  The country breakdown of tour operators with whom VISIT FLORIDA staff engaged represented UK – 25%, Latin America – 23%, Europe – 22%, China – 13%, Canada – 4% and other countries – 13%.  The mood of attendees at both the trade show and at special events throughout the week was engaged and energetic, including during hosted evening activities that provided an opportunity to mix, mingle and network with delegates we were not able meet with during the pre-scheduled appointment sessions.

For 2012, VISIT FLORIDA unveiled a new booth look that showcased Florida’s natural side.  The eye-catching backdrop featured the dramatic “Mangrove At Sunset” image by Alan Maltz, the official wildlife photographer for the State of Florida, and was complimented with eco-friendly cork flooring.

In addition to its revamped booth, VISIT FLORIDA did a first-time sponsorship of nine 10-foot tall Wayfinder Kiosks.  The highly-visible kiosks, which aided delegates in finding their way around the marketplace floor, featured VISIT FLORIDA-branded content including  travel videos and stories created by top journalists in both English and Spanish. Next year, we intend to extend this sponsorship opportunity to interested VISIT FLORIDA partners.

Overseas markets continue to be an integral part of VISIT FLORIDA’s marketing efforts with 2011 total overseas travel to Florida up 16% from the previous year.  With a combined 9.3 million visitors, the top ten origin countries of overseas visitations to Florida for 2011 are Brazil, United Kingdom, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Germany, France, Colombia, Spain and Japan.  Canada remains the number one country of origin for visitation to Florida with 3.3 million visitors. Given the continued growth and competitive environment in overseas travel to the U.S., having a strategic presence at Pow Wow and other international trade events allows VISIT FLORIDA – and, by extension, the entire Florida tourism industry – to expand our reach and relevance to this increasingly vital visitor market.