Visit Florida Ready to Relaunch Travel Campaign after Irma

VISIT FLORIDA is launching a hurricane response marketing plan “to invite visitors back to the Sunshine State in a responsible way”, where the focus is on marketing on unaffected areas while providing real-time information and updates on locations that continue to strengthen every day, says VISIT FLORIDA President & CEO, Ken Lawson.

While several communities sustained serious damage from Hurricane Irma, many areas of Florida did not see significant impacts, he noted.

VISIT FLORIDA has been in touch with the state’s Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) “to get a county-by-county damage assessment and to review plans to best promote our state to visitors”, says Lawson.

“The vast majority of DMOs were happy to report that their destination is open for business. The areas of our state that were more impacted are rebuilding and planning to reopen as soon as possible.”

Lawson says VISIT FLORIDA’s post-hurricane marketing plan will provide “an authentic view” of Florida to assist potential visitors as they make travel plans. Campaign tactics will be digitally focused with a series of true-view videos from destinations across the state – “an aggressive push to energize our Share a Little Sunshine advocates to share real-time images of the state with #LoveFL”, as well as customized plans to support the communities that were directly impacted by Hurricane Irma.

VISIT FLORIDA continues to share real-time travel safety updates at its Florida Now page at its website, visitflorida.com. Local DMOs are also updating their websites to serve as a post-hurricane information resource.

“The Florida tourism industry has recovered from many storms over the years, and I have no doubt that our communities and our state will quickly rebound from Hurricane Irma as well,” said Lawson.

In Miami, the Greater Miami CVB has kicked off its #MiamiNow campaign with discounts and deals for visitors. The new destination-wide promotion supports local businesses and jobs offering savings throughout Miami and the Beaches now until Oct. 31.

Miami and the Beaches is open for business following minimal impact from Hurricane Irma this past week, says the CVB.

Source: Travelweek Group