VISIT FLORIDA Official Media Newsroom

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VISIT FLORIDA® Announces New Contract to Increase Chinese Visitation to the Sunshine State

NEWS RELEASE TOPIC:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 16, 2008

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (October 16, 2008) - VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, announced today that it has signed an agreement with AVIAREPS Marketing Garden Ltd (Marketing Garden) to market Florida as a viable outbound destination for the Chinese. Marketing Garden, lead by a team in Shanghai, will perform administrative, sales and public relations functions for VISIT FLORIDA in addition to marketing.

China is rapidly becoming one of the most important tourism markets in the world and Florida is uniquely positioned to become an increasingly popular destination for Chinese travelers.

“As a global player in the travel industry, we need a dedicated presence in the Chinese market,” said Steve Hayes, Chairman of VISIT FLORIDA's Sales Committee and Executive Vice President of Tampa Bay and Company. “We are happy to have the opportunity to partner with Marketing Garden and VISIT FLORIDA as they work to attract Chinese visitors to the Sunshine State.”

Last December, the United States and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which provided sweeping changes for travel from China to the Untied States. The agreement formally sanctions group leisure travel to the U.S. while also permitting destinations to market themselves in China. This MOU provides the potential for millions of dollars in revenue for Florida. According to the Department of Commerce, Chinese citizens spend an estimated $6,000 per visitor during their stay in the U.S. which is more than visitors from any other country.

“A key to establishing Florida as the No. 1 travel destination in the world is to break new ground in emerging markets,” said Will Seccombe, VISIT FLORIDA’s Chief Marketing Officer.

Under the agreement, Marketing Garden will identify and maintain relationships with key trade media, travel agents, tour operators, airlines, government officials and meeting professionals to increase positive exposure for Florida. The contract outlines marketing objectives which include participation in major trade and consumer fairs in China, monthly press releases and the development of a Chinese language web site, modeled after VISITFLORIDA.com.

“This agreement opens Florida to a growing market, eager to travel and discover new destinations," said Tracy Vaughan, VISIT FLORIDA’s Director, International Sales and Marketing. “This will be a great economic benefit for Florida’s tourism industry and our residents, as well as strengthen our ties with China.”

VISIT FLORIDA is the official tourism marketing corporation for the state of Florida. VISIT FLORIDA promotes tourism to Florida through sales, advertising, promotions, public relations, new product development and visitor services programs. As a public/private partnership VISIT FLORIDA has more than 3,400 tourism industry Partners and four major strategic alliances with American Express Travel Related services, AirTran Airways, Dollar Rent A Car and The Hertz Corporation. To learn more about VISIT FLORIDA, visit www.VISITFLORIDA.org.