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By Jim Turner<\/div><\/div>\n

Fla. tourism officials don\u2019t think so, though a panel of state economists slightly lowered their six-month expectations for Canadian and overseas tourists.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2013 A top Florida tourism official called the future of travel to the state \u201cbright\u201d and said there are no plans to slow marketing efforts, even with the rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Visit Florida President and CEO Dana Young said Wednesday the agency continues to expand its winter marketing campaign in the United States and isn\u2019t slowing international efforts.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been a tough road for our international folks, but we have not stopped for one second working in those markets to make sure that Florida stays top of mind,\u201d Young said during a conference call with members of the Visit Florida Executive Committee.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Last month, a panel of state economists slightly lowered expectations through the middle of 2022 for Canadian and overseas travelers, anticipating the omicron variant would slow, at least temporarily, Florida\u2019s resurging tourism.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Amy Baker, coordinator of the Legislature\u2019s Office of Economic & Demographic Research, said during a Dec. 20 meeting the highly contagious variant likely would affect people\u2019s decisions to travel to and from Florida.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think omicron kind of changed the environment,\u201d Baker said. \u201cI know of two people who were planning to travel internationally. They canceled their trips because of omicron, not knowing what additional lockdown restrictions (would be) if they got some place. Would their country be open? What\u2019s happening in the United States? What would be the requirements on them going?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Florida\u2019s tourism industry exceeded expectations in the third quarter of 2021, drawing 32.6 million visitors, which was 2 million more than forecast earlier this year and 0.3% above the overall number of visitors in the third quarter of 2019 \u2013 before the pandemic began. The 2021 third-quarter totals followed 31.7 million visitors in the second quarter, which was 2.2% below the second quarter of 2019.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Almost 90% of visitors in 2021 had come from other states, though Visit Florida officials expected a resurgence in Canadian and overseas visitors after the White House eased travel restrictions in November.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Visit Florida Chief Marketing Officer Staci Mellman on Wednesday said it\u2019s too early to make projections on fourth-quarter numbers.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost recently, I think we saw some rise in travel, especially from Latin America, but that\u2019s always been pretty consistent over the last year and a half during the pandemic,\u201d Mellman said. \u201cI think the numbers were less than what we anticipated from Europe.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Members of the committee said they\u2019ve seen many license plates from New York, New Jersey and the Carolinas on Interstate 95, but there hasn\u2019t been the normal crop from Quebec and other parts of Canada.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With the start of 2022, Visit Florida launched a new winter marketing campaign aimed at the West Coast and is pinpointing tourists from numerous cities, including New York; Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala.; Houston; Boise, Idaho; Salt Lake City; Chicago; Detroit; Philadelphia; Indianapolis; Minneapolis; Cleveland; Boston; St. Louis; Nashville, Tenn.; Macon, Ga.; Louisville, Ky.; Cincinnati and Milwaukee.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Executive Committee member Dan Rowe, president and CEO of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the local organization has seen winter tourism numbers already 25% to 40% higher than a year ago.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think you will see across the state that there will be an uptick in business from our friends from Canada, and also the Northeast and upper Midwest,\u201d Rowe said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Young also expressed optimism.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy common sense tells me that if the border was open, which it was or is, they are in their Suburbans and RVs, and if they aren\u2019t already here, they\u2019re on their way,\u201d Young said. \u201cAnd we should be getting those numbers \u2026 but common sense just tells me that they\u2019re not hanging out in Canada.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Young\u2019s update came as Visit Florida hopes to draw support from lawmakers for extending the agency\u2019s scheduled expiration date beyond Oct. 1, 2023. A proposal in the Senate (SB 434) would keep the agency operating until Oct. 1, 2031. A similar House measure (HB 489) offers an extension to Oct. 1, 2028.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The agency also hopes to maintain $50 million in state funding next fiscal year, an amount requested by Gov. Ron DeSantis.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Visit Florida received $80 million from the Legislature for the current fiscal year, including $30 million from federal stimulus programs.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Source: News Service of Florida<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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\nAuthor: kerrys<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"