Tourism brought in an estimated $109 billion a year to Florida at last count. This week on Florida Matters we’re taking a look at the current state of Florida’s number one industry.
You may have heard about the tug-of-war during the last legislative session between Governor Rick Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran. They were battling over how much taxpayer money should go toward Visit Florida, the organization in charge of promoting the state to potential visitors.
Gov. Scott wanted to increase funding, Corcoran hoped to slash it. In the end, Visit Florida kept its state support at about the same year-to-year level of $76 million.
So what’s ahead for tourism? How does the marketing agency prove its worth? And how popular is Florida among domestic and international tourists?
Our panelists to discuss these issues are:
- Santiago Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay
- Maryann Ferenc, Visit Florida board member and CEO and owner of Mise En Place in Tampa
- Dr. Abraham Pizam, Dean of the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management
You can continue the conversation on tourism in Florida on our Facebook page, on Twitter or by emailing FloridaMatters@wusf.org.
