Sunshine Matters

I am pleased to announce that VISIT FLORIDA’s efforts to market the Sunshine State to visitors around the globe in 2012 had a significant influence on their travel planning decisions.  Results just in from the annual Return on Investment Influencer Study show that, of the surveyed respondents who had been to Florida in the past year, 38.8 percent were significantly influenced in their decision to visit the state by one or more VISIT FLORIDA marketing initiatives.  This figure represents a 0.7  percentage point increase over 2011 and marks the fourth consecutive year of ROI increases, which have risen a total of 12.1 percentage points since 2008.  Continue reading »

I’m pleased to share that today, VISIT FLORIDA unveiled its redesigned VISITFLORIDA.com website as part of the state’s week-long events focused on Florida’s 500th anniversary.  Already one of the most popular destination marketing organization websites in the country with more than 20 million page views in 2012, VISIT FLORIDA’s new site leverages current technology trends to provide an easily navigable experience for users that celebrates Florida’s rich travel planning opportunities. Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA, a half-hour show of Spanish-language travel stories reported and produced by VISITFLORIDA.com journalists, debuted this week on Bright House Networks from Tampa Bay to Orlando.

The travel series is airing at 1:30 and 8:30 p.m. through March 24 on InfoMás, Bright House’s 24-hour, Spanish-language news and information channel.  In the Bright House market, that channel is 900. Continue reading »

Today, I am pleased to announce VISIT FLORIDA has unveiled our new brand campaign that captures all the feelings of a Florida vacation experience in just four words: Must Be the Sunshine.  There is nothing more powerful than a personal story being shared directly with others, and so at its core ‘Must Be the Sunshine’ is a storytelling campaign. Continue reading »

Today, VISIT FLORIDA held a Board of Directors meeting to establish a formal process for filling its soon-to-be vacant President and CEO position. This vacancy was created when Chris Thompson was officially announced as Brand USA’s new President and CEO, effective November 1, 2012.  As part of the meeting, a formal search committee made up of six board members was appointed. The board voted unanimously to have Will Seccombe, VISIT FLORIDA’s CMO since 2008, serve as Acting President and CEO to bridge the time between Thompson’s departure and the naming of a permanent replacement. Continue reading »