PLAN SEEKS TO BOLSTER TOURISM MARKETING

Jim Turner News Service Of Florida

TALLAHASSEE —Visit Florida staff members have crafted a tourism-marketing plan intended to combat increased competition from states that in the past few years imposed tougher COVID-19 restrictions.

With restrictions now lifted nationally and eased internationally, and tourism dollars up in Florida’s proposed budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the state tourism agency’s Marketing Council rolled out plans Tuesday that, in part, would move up the start of winter and “families” advertising campaigns by a couple of months.

“We have moved these up to launch in October and March respectively, which we feel will position us to enter the travel discussion earlier in the decision process and maximize our traveler visitation,” Brett Laiken, Visit Florida’s vice president of marketing, said during a conference call.

The marketing efforts will continue to highlight beaches and theme parks, but also regional and outdoor activities.

Laiken said the agency focused on Florida’s recovery from COVID-19 last year, and “this year we really want to celebrate the record numbers in the face of increasing competition.”

The proposed state budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which will start July 1, includes $80 million for Visit Florida, a $30 million increase from the current fiscal year. Gov. Ron DeSantis still needs to sign off on the budget.

The marketing plans must go before the Visit Florida Board of Directors, which will meet Tuesday in St. Augustine.

Participants in this week’s meeting did not mention recent travel advisories that advocacy groups have issued for Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ people as a protest against policies backed by DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature. The meeting also did not include discussion of DeSantis’ clash with The Walt Disney Company over 2022 legislation that restricts instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

Florida drew an estimated 137.6 visitors in 2022, a 12.9 percent increase from 2021 and 5 percent more than in 2019, the last full year of travel before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most of Florida’s visitors continue to come from other states, with overseas travel to Florida last year 28 percent below the 2019 total.

The higher Florida tourism estimates