Sunshine Matters

As you may have seen, Governor Scott traveled the state yesterday celebrating VISIT FLORIDA receiving full funding and thanking the tourism industry for their hard work and hospitality in welcoming more than 112 million visitors last year. This victory would not have been possible without the help of the Governor, the Legislature and all of our Industry Partners. Continue reading »

I am proud to share that during a press conference at Jungle Island in Miami this morning, Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida set another record by welcoming 31.1 million visitors in the first quarter of 2017, the highest quarterly number ever. This represents a 2.5 percent increase over the same period in 2016. Even though Florida’s tourism industry is booming, the Florida Legislature cut VISIT FLORIDA’s budget by 67 percent for the upcoming fiscal year, putting Florida’s incredible growth and the many families and businesses that rely on the tourism industry at risk. Continue reading »

Today the Florida tourism industry mourns the passing of one of its greatest leaders.  Arthur Hertz was a pioneer in local and state tourism development, including serving as Vice Chairman of the Florida Commission on Tourism and was part of the team that led to the formation of VISIT FLORIDA.  Arthur served as VISIT FLORIDA’s Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1998-1999, was inducted into the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame in 2004 and continued his service as a member of the Florida Council of Tourism Leaders.   Continue reading »

Our fight in Tallahassee to fully fund VISIT FLORIDA continues.  We still need our Industry Partners to help us in this important endeavor.  Recently, the Florida Senate included Governor Scott’s full $76 million for VISIT FLORIDA in their budget.  The Florida House, however, has cut our organization’s funding by 67 percent to $25 million, an amount that would cost tens of thousands of jobs.  Please contact your local legislators to respectfully tell them why fully funding VISIT FLORIDA is critical to 1.4 million jobs in our state. Continue reading »

To show support for a fully funded VISIT FLORIDA, Tallahassee area Yellow Cab has equipped 30 taxi cabs with toppers to share the message to Tallahassee residents that “Tourism Works for Florida.”  The company placed the advertisements to promote the 1.4 million jobs created by the tourism industry in Florida.  The toppers, which are being provided by Yellow Cab at no cost to VISIT FLORIDA, will remain on the taxi cabs throughout the 2017 Legislative session. Last year, Florida welcomed a record 112.8 million visitors.  To learn more, go to www.tourismworksforflorida.org.