Sunshine Matters

According to preliminary estimates* we released today, 22.1 million visitors came to Florida in the second quarter of 2012 (April-June), an increase of 1.3 percent over the same period in 2011.  Direct travel-related employment in Florida also rose 1.1 percent to 1,041,900, adding 11,300 jobs since this time one year ago and representing the largest employment total since first quarter 2008. Continue reading »

Now appearing on Huffington Post…

…Florida tourism stories, delivered twice weekly in a new VISIT FLORIDA blog.

And what a showcase for our articles, slideshows and videos. HuffPo, as it is commonly known, is one of the most popular websites in the world.  From June 2011 to June 2012, the site averaged 66 million unique visitors and 670 million page views.

The presentation typically includes a striking photograph or video embed and then the blog post, which contains multiple hyperlinks to Florida destinations and things to do.  Our first post was on Canaveral National Seashore.  Look for Tampa-centric stories in August to advance the Republican National Convention later that month. Continue reading »

Glenn Hastings, 2012-2013 VISIT FLORIDA Chairman

With the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, VISIT FLORIDA is ushering in new leadership to serve on our industry committees and Board of Directors.  Glenn Hastings, Executive Director of the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, takes over as the 2012-2013 Chairman of the Board.  Hastings succeeds Tony Lapi, CEO of the ‘Tweens Waters Inn Island Resort on Captiva Island, who served as Chairman during a year in which Florida welcomed a record number of visitors. Continue reading »

Each Spring, VISIT FLORIDA conducts its New York City Media Receptions Program to bring  Florida tourism industry partners and New York-based travel journalists together in their own backyard.  This year, VISIT FLORIDA’s Public Relations team and our agency of record – Harrison & Shriftman/Ketchum – were joined by 15 industry partners in hosting both a blogger reception and a consumer media reception. Continue reading »

I am pleased to announce that preliminary estimates* of visitors to Florida for the third quarter of 2011 (July-September) show an estimated 20.4 million travelers visited the Sunshine State.  This represents an increase of 5.1 percent from the same period in 2010.  In addition, Florida’s tourism-related employment for the third quarter of 2011 was 1,009,500, up by 51,400 jobs, which reflects a 5.4 percent increase when compared to third quarter 2010. Continue reading »