Sunshine Matters

While the rest of the world is speeding up, aging U.S. transportation infrastructure is slowing America down.  Everyone agrees on the problem, but solutions are scarce.  This week, I’ve joined transportation visionaries and other travel industry leaders at the Connecting America Through Travel conference for an important dialogue about how to revitalize America’s travel infrastructure. Continue reading »

I am proud to share that today, VISIT FLORIDA and IMG announced we have teamed up with two of the state’s top brands – the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles – to harness the passion associated with their storied rivalry games and direct it toward the promotion of travel throughout Florida. Continue reading »

Congratulations to Carol Dover, member of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors and President & CEO of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, for winning the first-ever Dick Pope Legacy Award at the 2013 Grand Tour Gala.  The Grand Tour Gala Foundation created the new Dick Pope Legacy Awards to recognize leaders that have strengthened the sustainability of Florida’s hospitality and tourism industries.  In addition to being presented each year at the Grand Tour Gala, the award recipients will be immortalized on the walls of the Orange County Convention Center. Continue reading »

Europe was once again the top region for international visitors to Florida in 2012, accounting for 3.1 million visitors representing 27% of the state’s total international visitors.  France, in particular, is one of our top international markets, ranking No. 9 in visitation to Florida and No. 11 in visitor spending in 2012. Continue reading »

Today during a press conference at Busch Gardens Tampa, Governor Scott announced that according to VISIT FLORIDA’s preliminary estimates* 22.9 million visitors came to Florida in the third quarter of 2013 (July-September), an increase of 1.7 percent over the same period in 2012.  These numbers represent the largest third quarter for visitation in the state’s history.  Continue reading »