Governor Crist Announces New Wave of Advertising to Encourage Travel to Florida

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~Memorial Day  to Labor Day is vital period for Sunshine State’s tourism  industry~


TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie  Crist today announced the first phase of an aggressive 90-day marketing  campaign, pumping $7 million into the first three weeks of new advertising  expected to reach nearly 500 million consumers in Northwest Florida’s  traditional feeder markets. The release of funds in increments ensures that  Florida will  be able deploy messages that are responsive to the ever changing nature of the  oil spill.



“Even  though there are no physical impacts to Florida’s shores from the oil spill,  the state’s tourism industry, especially in the Panhandle, has already felt a  very real economic impact,” said Governor Crist.  “With Memorial Day  weekend kicking off the peak travel season, it is vital that travelers  throughout the nation and the world know our beaches and waterways are clear  and open for business.”



Presented  by VISIT FLORIDA and local tourist development councils, the ad campaign  utilizes a combination of broadcast television, national cable, radio and  newspaper advertising.  The campaign targets traditional feeder markets  of Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte,  Dallas, Houston,  Raleigh and St. Louis.  Also included in the plan  are major metro markets as well as 17 key regional markets of Albany, Augusta,  Austin, Baton Rouge, Chattanooga, Columbus, GA., Greenville, Jackson,  Knoxville, Lexington, Little Rock, Macon, Memphis, Montgomery, Nashville, New  Orleans, and Shreveport and the 65 South West Airlines markets throughout the  United States covered by the national cable buy.  



“We  are thankful for Governor Crist's leadership in providing funding to local  Tourist Development Councils which will enhance our promotional efforts during  the summer travel season,” states Dan Rowe, president and CEO of Panama City  Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The Governor's commitment to our  region demonstrates his support for Panama City Beach's billion dollar tourism industry  and protects thousands of jobs for our residents."   



The  newspaper ads will appear in USA Today,  the New York Times  and the Wall Street  Journal.  Examples of the national cable coverage include  networks such as TNT, TBS,  USA, CNN, ESPN  and the Travel Channel.  The three-week ad buy and its new creative  elements will begin appearing as early as today.   



“Beaches  of South Walton and Walton County are extremely appreciative of the Governor's  decision to provide funds for use in advertising that our beaches are open,”  Dawn Moliterno, executive director of the Beaches of South Walton Tourist  Development Council. “These funds will afford us the opportunity to penetrate  deep into our existing drive markets and bring awareness to those new,  emerging markets served by Southwest Airlines.”



In  addition to the new ad buy, Florida began a  $2.5 million emergency response campaign in 15 of Florida’s summer drive  markets on May 15. The emergency response campaign directed consumers to  Florida Live on VISITFLORIDA.com <http://www.visitflorida.com/>  to  watch live webcams, read Twitter feeds and view up-to-the-minute photos posted  by real people in real time from beach destinations throughout Florida.  The  existing ad buys in those 15 markets will now shift to the new messaging  featuring Northwest  Florida.



“As news  reports raise concerns about a potential impact to Florida from the spill,  the best way for visitors from around the world to make informed travel  planning decisions was to see the current conditions for themselves,” said  Chris Thompson, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA.  “The creation of the  Florida Live page on our Web site showing live webcams, Twitter feeds and  original photos gives visitors the resources they need to book their  Florida trip  with confidence.”



On  Tuesday, Governor Crist announced the state’s receipt of $25 million from BP  for an emergency marketing response to the Gulf oil spill and the creation of  a work group to oversee the spending of those funds.  



“With this  grant from BP, we will be able to react in the coming weeks and months to  whatever actually happens by creating additional ads that show what’s going on  statewide as well as in individual communities,” continued  Thompson.