Sunshine Matters

Bonjour!  VISIT FLORIDA and Partners recently brought the sunshine – and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream – to the Air Canada Vacations (ACV) Reservation Center in Montreal.  Last year, a record 3.7 million Canadians traveled to Florida, spending $4.4 billion.  In 2013, ACV booked over 22,000 room nights in Florida. Continue reading »

Tourism Cares recently returned to Florida for the second time and leveraged its legacy of community service to place a beloved local institution and a national architectural landmark back on the map.  On May 29 -30, 400 participants volunteered to help restore both the Miami Marine Stadium and the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park. Continue reading »

With the start of our new fiscal year on July 1, VISIT FLORIDA ushers in new leadership to serve on our Executive Committee, Board of Directors and industry committees.  I am proud to share that more than 220 VISIT FLORIDA partners, including some of the industry’s foremost experts, have been selected to represent the tourism industry for the upcoming term. Continue reading »

Memorial Day weekend marked the unofficial start of summer, which ushers in extended hours at VISIT FLORIDA’s four highway Florida Welcome Centers now through Labor Day.  As an accommodation to visitor’s requests, the Florida Welcome Centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during this heavy tourism season.  It is projected that the added hours will capture 3-5 percent of the daily visitor total. Continue reading »

As media change how they deliver travel content, VISIT FLORIDA’s Public Relations Department is making changes, too – including a new way to foster media relationships in-market.  For the first time, PR staff led a media mission that carried four Partners to five target designated market areas, a footprint larger than any mission before.  The itinerary spanned three states – Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan – where the four Partners visited markets each having strong media assets that influence their regional audiences. Continue reading »

Laura Cassels
Public Relations Representative