FORT LAUDERDALE -- In the days and weeks after Hurricane Irma ripped through the Sunshine State, Visit Florida executed a two-pronged marketing plan to minimize the storm's impact on tourism to the state, president and CEO Ken Lawson told the CruiseWorld audience.
"We have 67 counties in Florida," he said. "After Irma left, 66 were ready to go," with Monroe County, home of the Florida Keys, working swiftly toward recovery.
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, the priority was putting out the message, "We are open for business," Lawson told the attendees here on Friday morning. To do that, Visit Florida put live cameras on a number of beaches and broadcast the content on social media channels like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so potential visitors could see the conditions in the state in real time. Lawson himself visited the Florida Keys and broadcast live from a fishing boat, showcasing areas that were unaffected.
The second phase of Visit Florida's post-hurricane marketing plan involved television, radio and digital billboards in the northeast corridor of the United States. "We went hot and heavy with traditional media," Lawson said, with the goal of "capturing minds and hearts to send a message that we are open and ready to go."
In Florida, tourism supports 1.4 million jobs and has a $108 billion direct economic impact. One in six jobs in Florida is supported by visitor spend. Lawson asked agents to go to visitflorida.org, get a copy of his organization's marketing plan and become a Visit Florida partner to drum up visitors to the state, encouraging them to take both land-based and cruise vacations.
"The power of the cruise industry is huge, and we need you to be partners with Visit Florida and help us send the message that Florida is open and we want everyone," he said.
During the Presidents Panel the day before, senior cruise executives discussed their companies' extensive efforts to assist the Caribbean post-hurricanes Irma and Maria.
"It makes you proud," said Andy Stuart, the president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, which sent its Norwegian Sky to St. Thomas on a mission after Hurricane Irma to rescue stranded travelers and bring supplies to the territory. "We've been in the business for a long time. I think this has been a proud moment for our industry."
Roberto
Fusaro, president of MSC Cruises North America, reminded the audience not to forget about the Caribbean and said the cruise lines are still dedicated to helping recovery efforts there. "The islands will need more time to recover," he said. "There's still a lot of work to be done."
The panel wrapped up with a video featuring Jose Izquierdo, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, thanking the cruise lines for their recovery efforts.