Articles tagged “florida”

If legislators ultimately slash funding for Visit Florida — and the state's governor signs off on the budget — will the private sector step in with more cash? Or will the organization be forced to cut its marketing efforts as competition heats up for international tourists?

Many tourism boards across the U.S. are closely watching what happens with Visit Florida's funding as CFO Hefren works to instill confidence that the organization will be more diligent with its finances.

Tourism boards have taken on more functions in recent decades but promoting economic development has been a consistent theme for the sector since its beginnings. Convincing lawmakers that locals benefit from tourism marketing has become increasingly important for ensuring tourism boards' survival.

From growing public-private partnerships and shifting strategy when foreign currencies decline, Seccombe's insights are relevant for tourism boards the world over.

This smells more of politics than smart planning. And we would argue it isn't a good idea to get rid of one of the more talented DMO executive teams in the U.S. just when your state is strategizing how to make up for declining visitation from Canadians, UK nationals, and others.

In the end, it turns out Pitbull's love of the people of Florida is stronger than his love of confidentiality (and money).

For some states coming in under budget is good news and for others the smaller spending signifies problems that marketing organizations are having. For now, most provisional tourism budgets increased for fiscal year 2016 and we'll soon see what impact that's had on travelers.

Maybe a silver lining to Zika's toll on Wynwood is that the district is getting a huge amount of global press that could pay off when everything is back to normal.

For now, things are stable for hotels and cruise lines in South Florida. If the Zika virus continues to spread during the period leading up to the winter, which is the area's peak tourism period, this may quickly change.

It should still concern Floridians that Visit Florida has spent public money on performers like Pitbull, under the presupposition that such performances somehow contribute directly to increasing visitation to Florida. Meanwhile, the exact amount Visit Florida spends on its lavish events is still confidential.