[By Kerri L. Post, Images Courtesy Visit Florida]

VISIT FLORIDA – A Decade of Innovation

VISIT FLORIDA, the state's official source for travel planning, celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2006. Tourism has long been the major economic engine for Florida, comprising 20 percent of the state's economy. In 2004, the industry generated $3.4 billion in sales tax revenue for state government.

In 1996, Florida became the first state to privatize management of tourism promotion when the state legislature dissolved the Florida Department of Commerce and established VISIT FLORIDA as a not-for-profit organization supported by both private and public funding. Today, each public dollar is matched by more than three dollars in private contributions. Partnering with business, government and not-for-profits, VISIT FLORIDA has worked to improve the state's ability to respond globally to the increasingly competitive marketplace. It has been a decade marked by bold steps, record-breaking visitation and economic impact, and significant challenges and achievements. By promoting Florida's cultural and heritage tourism products and experiences, VISIT FLORIDA works to bring new and repeat visitors, extend visitor stays, and spread the economic impacts of tourism throughout all areas of the state. Many states now look to VISIT FLORIDA's success as a model for their own tourism structure.

The New Product Development department, created to address growing markets such as heritage and cultural tourism, has worked to represent and promote heritage and cultural "visitor products" and destinations. Relationships and programs have been developed with heritage and cultural communities throughout the state, and agencies such as the Florida Department of State, Divisions of Historical Resources and Cultural Affairs. Through representatives to its Cultural Heritage Tourism Committee, VISIT FLORIDA receives input from preservation and arts constituents statewide. In recent years, VISIT FLORIDA and the Florida Department of State have partnered to implement the successful statewide projects, Culturally Florida and Downtowns & Small Towns. Culturally Florida began in 1999 as the brainchild of George Percy, then Director of the Division of Historical Resources. Modeled after California's Culture's Edge program, the Culturally Florida program was launched nationally in 2001. The largest and most successful effort of its kind, the Culturally Florida program tracked direct consumer spending and economic impact in Florida at $46.6 million in the first five months of implementation.

Partnering again with the Florida Department of State in 2005, VISIT FLORIDA launched its Downtowns & Small Towns program as the next generation of Culturally Florida. This program promotes Florida's "sense of place," the authenticity of history and culture found in Florida's vibrant downtowns and charming small towns. Recognizing that visitors increasingly seek authenticity and enrichment in their vacation experiences, Downtowns & Small Towns works with Florida communities to preserve and promote the qualities that make them special and attractive to visitors.

Each year, VISIT FLORIDA awards tourism marketing grants to support industry efforts to increase promotion of heritage and cultural products. Cultural and heritage tourism marketing programs have received more than $525,000 over the past eight years for marketing programs such as advertising placement, brochure and website development, walking and driving tours of historic districts, regional performing arts calendars, a countywide African American heritage website and tour packages, industry education and outreach, and photography development.

Reflecting VISIT FLORIDA's successful decade of growth and development, the VISIT FLORIDA corporate logo has been updated to more directly connect consumers by focusing on the ultimate "brand" of interest; Florida.