“The Visit Florida organisation has appealed to the state government for a 139% increase in funding (to $59million a year) in a bid to lift their currently flat tourism numbers.
The fact is, Florida tourism is seriously underfunded compared to the likes of Pennsylvania and Illinois, but, not for the first time, they seem to have the wrong idea of how to market the Sunshine State.
Visit Florida president Bud Nocera is still barking up the ‘family’ tree insisting, ‘We are first a family destination.’ Could that be why Florida’s numbers have gone flat in recent years, because Florida’s appeal to the family market is saturated?
To continue trying to attract a market that might have reached its zenith seems short-sighted, especially at a time when the NON-family tourism sector is booming, especially among seniors.
The simple fact is more regions of the world know they need to appeal to adults – couples and singles – as the element with most disposable income. This is where tourism’s real growth lies.
Of course there is more competition for the family tourist dollar these days, but the family market already knows Florida exists, some just choose to go elsewhere. For Visit Florida to say their prime concern is to attract more families is to overlook the basic dynamic at work.
They don’t need to attract more families, they need to attract more of everyone else. And, when Florida is superbly equipped to appeal to the widest possible audience (with the possible exception of downhill skiers!), it is baffling why this is not their focus.
From our own work in the Orlando market – admittedly anecdotal, but built on thousands of customers and their direct feedback – we see exactly who is attracted by what.
The lure of the theme parks is a given but finite appeal. It is beyond the parks where Florida’s real treasures – and market – are to be found.
Simon Veness,
The Brit’s Guide travel series
