Sunshine Matters

I am pleased to share that today Governor Rick Scott announced during a press conference at the Naples Zoo that Florida has set another record in tourism numbers by welcoming the highest amount of visitors of any quarter in the state’s history.  In the first quarter of 2015 (January-March), 28.4 million visitors came to the state, an increase of 6.2 percent over the same period in 2014.  The previous high for a quarter for tourism was 26.7 million visitors in quarter one last year.  The average number of direct travel-related jobs in quarter one of 2015 was also a record high, with 1,186,900 Floridians employed in the tourism industry – up 4.8 percent from the same period in 2014. Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA’s Corporate Meetings & Events team is pleased to share that supplier demand for our 2015 Florida Encounter is off to a great start with more than 55% of the spaces sold out in less than two weeks.  This year’s event is being held November 30 – December 2 at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort. Continue reading »

Travel leaders from across the country visited the White House last week to brief key Obama Administration officials on the value of international trade to local and regional economies.  Along with Phil Brown from the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, I was proud to represent the Florida tourism industry at this important trade event organized by the U.S. Travel Association. Continue reading »

I am pleased to share that late yesterday Governor Scott announced our revised preliminary 2014 visitation figure of 98.9 million.  This figure represents a 5.1 percent increase over the previous high of 93.7 million in 2013 and marks the second largest year-over-year visitor increase Florida has experienced in a decade. Continue reading »