With Hurricane Ian receding on the news cycle, Florida’s tourism-marketing agency is launching a $2.7 million USD campaign to show that large areas of the state were not badly damaged by the storm. Fox News says the Visit Florida campaign will run on digital and social media platforms through the end of October and show recent footage taken from 14 parts of the state with the message, “Sun’s Shining in Florida.” Florida is, of course, a very large state. Hurricane Ian devasted areas around Fort Myers/Sanibel/Captiva, but many other areas of the Sunshine State, including Saint Augustine and Florida’s Historic Read more
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By Jim Byers, Member, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) SANTA MONICA – Elegant. Beachy. Classy. And sometimes even cheesy. This is a California city that has a little bit of everything. You can relax at a renowned hotel and dine 17 floors in the sky, with fabulous cuisine, craft cocktails and a view of the Pacific Ocean, but you can also take advantage of happy hour at a casual Mexican place. You can go for a $200 treatment in a hushed, luxurious spa, but you can also stroll the beach for free or pose for photos at the western Read more
India Top Destination for Canadians for Thanksgiving; WestJet Launches First Asian Airline Codeshare
With Canadian borders having fully opened October 1, Canadians are eager to travel the world. And the top destination for Thanksgiving weekend is New Delhi, India. “This year, we’re seeing more than half of travel will be international for Thanksgiving from Canada, that’s a big shift from where we were a couple of years ago,” said Laura Lindsay, head of consumer communications and public relations at Skyscanner. “New Delhi is the top destination for Canadians over Thanksgiving. “Obviously, it’s a time that people [tend to] choose to reconnect with friends and family, or take that extra piece of time off Read more
Southwest Florida was devastated by Hurricane Ian, but local hotels and other tourism businesses are lending a helping hand. Throughout the state’s response to Hurricane Ian, VISIT FLORIDA has worked closely with authorities and travel brands, such as Expedia, AirBnb and hoteliers throughout the state, to connect displaced Floridians with resources for finding suitable short- and long-term accommodations. Earlier this week, VISIT FLORIDA learned of 23 families, who evacuated from their homes in Lee County while their newborns were in NICU care, were urgently in need of temporary housing in Broward County as their infants were being transferred to nearby Read more
Southwest Florida was slammed recently by Hurricane Ian. Here’s a statement put out today by local authorities. “The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches & Neighborhoods) is working closely with state, federal and local officials to assess the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Ian, which made landfall on September 28 as a Category 4 near Cayo Costa, an island just off the coast of Fort Myers. Search and rescue efforts continue throughout the region. Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers has reopened for limited operations. Visitors are asked to put travel plans to the Read more
