Sunshine Matters

Today, Senate Bill 398 establishing a permanent home for the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame at the State Capitol was signed into law by Governor Rick Scott.  A huge thank you to the bill’s sponsor Sen. Detert, co-sponsor Sen. Margolis, along with the members of  the Senate Commerce & Tourism Committee, as well as Rep. La Rosa who put forward the companion bill in the House. 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 »

As the official destination marketing organization charged with promoting Florida as a leisure travel and meetings destination, VISIT FLORIDA plans and implements a wide variety of sales and marketing initiatives.  Our goal is to deliver the right message, through the right medium, to the right audience, at the right time, in order to maximize the economic impact of travel to the Sunshine State. Continue reading »

Last night, the Florida Legislature passed the state budget which included a $10.5 million increase in VISIT FLORIDA funding for a record $74 million in FY 2014-15.  This allocation includes $5 million for medical tourism marketing and $1.3 million to promote the Sunshine State to veterans and active duty military.  I would like to thank Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature for their visionary leadership and for their extraordinary support of VISIT FLORIDA and the state’s tourism industry. Continue reading »

I am delighted to share that today Governor Scott announced VISIT FLORIDA’s preliminary estimates* showing 94.7 million visitors came to Florida in 2013, an increase of 3.5 percent over 2012.  This represents a record year for visitation to Florida, exceeding the previous high of 91.5 million in 2012.  The number of direct travel-related jobs in 2013 was also a record high, with 1,088,200 Floridians employed in the tourism industry – up 2.9 percent from 2012. Continue reading »