Check out VISIT FLORIDA's New Web Site!

VISIT FLORIDA Launches New Travel Planning Resource
VISITFLORIDA.com a Virtual Wealth of Information
January 3, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Karen Kirksey Jan. 3, 2008
Corporate Communications Manager
Ph: (850) 205-3863
Cell: (850) 345-9735
e-mail: karenk@VISITFLORIDA.org

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Jan. 3, 2008) – VISIT FLORIDA®, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, has radically enhanced its consumer web site, VISITFLORIDA.com. The web site includes blogs, image and video sharing and consumer comments and offers potential visitors to the Sunshine State a unique travel planning resource unlike any other destination marketing organization in the country.

“VISITFLORIDA.com is the ultimate Florida travel planning tool,” said Leon Corbett, VISIT FLORIDA’s director of advertising and direct marketing. “The web site raises the bar for promotion by using interactive and rich media content to engage travelers. It offers far more than the usual static imagery and simple listings of information.”

Among the VISITFLORIDA.com features are a welcome video from Florida Governor Charlie Crist, real-time weather updates, events calendars, Florida travel videos, a personalized trip planner, e-magazines, travel guides and more. The site continues to offer special sections in German, Spanish, French, Portuguese and the Queen’s English.

VISIT FLORIDA enlisted the help of 10 Florida experts to share their perspectives on a variety of experiences in Florida. Each expert specializes in a different area, including Arts and Culture, Boating and Fishing, Shopping and Nightlife, Beach and Surf, Family, Authentic Florida, Smart Travel, Golf, Outdoors and Adventure. The experts, who live in Florida, host videos and write specialty blogs on VISITFLORIDA.com.

“The web site is an opportunity to engage potential Florida visitors as they embark on their Florida vacation experience,” said Bud Nocera, president and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA. “If you are considering a trip to the Sunshine State, you’ll find everything you want to know about Florida and more at VISITFLORIDA.com.”

The unveiling of VISITFLORIDA.com comes on the heels of news that visitation is up in the Sunshine State. Tourism industry leaders want to keep it that way. With 21.1 million tourists traveling to Florida during the third quarter of 2007, visitation increased by 4.8 percent compared to the same period in 2006. Tourism is one of Florida’s top industries. In 2006 alone, $65 billion was generated from tourism-related expenditures. VISIT FLORIDA, led by the Florida Commission on Tourism, successfully drives the Sunshine State’s tourism industry.

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