Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA is creating daily talking points related to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill for our visitors, the media and the tourism industry.  

Today’s messaging for visitors and the media includes the following updates:

Currently, there are no impacts to Florida shores. Our 1,197 miles of coastline, 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline and 663 beaches are clear and open, with no direct impacts to the state projected through Friday.

For further information:

If you’re thinking about travel to the Sunshine State and are concerned about the oil spill, VISIT FLORIDA encourages you to check with the local destinations in order to get the most up-to-date information by visiting: http://www.visitflorida.com/

For the latest on the state’s official response to the spill, please see: www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/

VISIT FLORIDA’s focus is on providing consumers and stakeholders with easy access to credible local information in order to allow consumers to make their vacation planning decisions based on facts and not misinformation or confusion.

While the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill has the potential to jeopardize Florida’s most important industry, to attempt to answer questions about the economic or environmental long-term effects of this situation at this stage would be irresponsible.

Tourism is the largest industry in the state – welcoming more than 80 million visitors per year who spent over $60 billion, generating 21% of all state sales tax collections and employing nearly 1 million Floridians.

Florida has 1,197 miles of coastline, 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline and 663 beaches.

VISIT FLORIDA’s messaging to our tourism industry partners includes the following updates:

As the Official tourism marketing organization for the State of Florida, VISIT FLORIDA’s response to this situation will be focused on open, transparent and proactive communication to consumers, industry, travel partners and media domestically and internationally.  Our focus is on providing consumers and stakeholders with easy access to credible local information in order to allow consumers to make their vacation planning decisions based on facts and not misinformation or confusion.

With Governor Crist’s Executive Order declaring a state of emergency and the activation of the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on Friday, April 30, VISIT FLORIDA staff became actively involved with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) – the state’s official lead agency on the oil spill – and the rest of the team of state agency officials responding to the situation.

VISIT FLORIDA has formed a multi-disciplinary internal communications team to address the near and long term impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on the Florida tourism industry.

As there are no direct impacts to the state projected through Friday, VISIT FLORIDA is simultaneously implementing industry communication and consumer messaging strategies and developing contingency plans to aggressively react to near term and longer term impacts of the spill.

VISIT FLORIDA is:

Actively participating in the State Emergency Operations Center with representation on desk ESF 14  – External Affairs and Public Information and desk ESF 18  – Business and Industry.

Maintaining most current information for industry partners on our industry website www.VISITFLORIDA.org and here on our corporate blog  www.SunshineMatters.org

Activated the Travel Advisory on www.VISITFLORIDA.com with the most current information available. New advanced map-based functionality has also been added to the www.VISITFLORIDA.com Travel Advisory page to allow individual destination marketing organizations (DMO’s) to update locally relevant information.

Developing daily speaking points in coordination with the EOC and partners to address media, industry partners and consumers. Speaking Points will be updated daily and as needed on www.SunshineMatters.org. The industry point person for media inquiries is Kathy Torian, Corporate Communications Manager.  Kathy can be reached at kathyt@visitflorida.org or 850 345-6494.  Nate Long, Public Relations Representative has been re-assigned for the near term to provide additional support in this area.

Participated in the FACVB Board of Directors call to address questions and concerns with their DMO partners, and hosted our own conference call with DMO partners to share current information and VISIT FLORIDA plans, as well as to coordinate industry response.

Working with advertising, publishing and public relations contractors to develop alternative marketing plans to aggressively address the consumer market in anticipation of a direct impact.

VISIT FLORIDA will be updating these talking points daily or as needed, so continue to check back often to get the latest information.