Skift Take
How much of an impact the slashed Visit Florida budget will have on the state's meetings and conventions industry is an open question. The answer depends on whom you ask.
All eyes are on Florida Governor Rick Scott as he decides whether or not to veto a bill passed in the legislature earlier this month that would cut the Visit Florida budget by 67 percent. If the governor withholds his pen, the destination marketing organization's budget will be slashed from $76 million to $25 million, which could deliver a severe blow to tourism in the country's most visited state.
It's not just family vacation dollars at stake. Florida is a top-tier meetings destination, and meeting attendees spend almost double the average tourist. According to Visit Florida, 6 percent of domestic visitors are in the state for meetings, seminars, or conventions, and they spend an average of $277 per person per day compared to the average visitor spending of $156.40.
The industry brings in huge revenues for the state and is a major job generator, particularly in the No. 1 meetings destination in the country, Orlando. Just one venue alone, the Orange County Convention Center (the second largest venue in the U.S.) hosts more than 230 events annually, attracting roughly 1.4 million attendees, all of whom contribute $2.4 billion to the local economy, according to event giant Cvent.
