Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Florida launches tourism campaign aimed at residents
Announcement comes just as more large events cancel
Florida is taking its first steps to lift the state’s devastated tourism industry, starting with a publicity campaign encouraging Floridians to vacation across the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Visit Florida kicked off a new tourism campaign Wednesday, on the same day that COVID-19 brought the cancellation of big events in South Florida, including the Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale and Art Basel Miami Beach.
Once again, DeSantis recited declining numbers for new COVID-19 cases in South Florida and elsewhere as signs that it’s getting safer for people to be involved in public events and social interaction.
The governor in recent days has emphasized that children should return to school; travelers should book flights; theme parks should open to more people; and now Floridians should vacation throughout the state.
He even suggested Wednesday that closing beaches, as all of South Florida did, was never justified — that it was more a response to public pressure and media coverage.
The tourism campaign, dubbed LOVEFL, will focus in part on out-of-theway places and attractions worth exploring. A new ad, scheduled for a roll-out this week, will feature fishing, boating and other attractions, said Visit Florida CEO Dana Young.
“The time is right to start bringing people back to the state for vacations,” she said. “Florida is a diverse, amazing, unique state. Our job at Visit Florida is to tell the whole story to the entire world.”
What vacationers won’t enjoy is the many major events that have been can
celed. Art Basel officials said Wednesday that they had little choice considering the uncertainties of the pandemic, limits on international travel and quarantines. The event was supposed to take place Dec. 3-6 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
The 2020 Tortuga Music Festival had hoped to go forward in October, but now it, too, has been removed from this year’s calendar entirely.
At a news conference Wednesday in Daytona Beach, the governor acknowledged that 520,000 hospitality and leisure jobs have been lost since the pandemic hit, but he said COVID-19 is easing and now is the time to get people back to work.
Analysts aren’t so sure. There is still no remedy for the coronavirus, they say, and people in general remain uncomfortable about traveling.
“The reality is we are not even remotely coming back yet,” said Peter Ricci, director of the hospitality and tourism management program at Florida Atlantic University. “I’m just on the fence about it. I think it’s the cart before the horse. I don’t think the general population is safely ready to travel just yet.”
He said the immediate task at hand is to ensure visitors feel comfortable and safe.
Hotels, airlines, car rental agencies and entertainment attractions continue to deeply cut operating capacities and workforces as airplane passenger loads remain at or near record lows since the pandemic gripped the economy in mid-March.
Meanwhile, the cruise line industry is idled until at least November.
“Right now there are so many mixed messages,” Ricci said. “This campaign is another example to me of a mixed message.’