Florida has announced a two-tier tourism recovery plan following the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton at the start of the US fall season.
Sun is Shining in Florida
The first part of the approach is already underway with online advertising to draw attention to destinations in the state that suffered little or no damage and where locals are keen to attract visitors and sustain their livelihoods.
“For areas that were not impacted or minimally impacted, we are launching a paid social media campaign with ‘Sun is Shining in Florida messaging,” said Visit Florida’s chief executive, Dana Young.
The promotion is set to last two weeks and features footage filmed just after Helene struck. It focuses on locations in the state that are safe to visit and where commerce is open. Visit Florida posts on Instagram highlight long golden beaches and calm blue waters, and maintain an upbeat tone, declaring: “As some of our state continues to rebuild, we are happy to welcome you to Florida’s sunny, unaffected areas. Who’s planning their next vacay?”
In addition, and aimed at “signalling our commitment to recovery”, other hashtags such as “Stronger than the Storm” and “Florida is Resilient” have been circulating online since Friday 11 October 2024.
Back to business as usual
That date saw Melbourne Orlando airport resume services “despite sustaining some damage to the terminal,” according to a statement, as well as Orlando International Airport fully re-open for passenger operations after a massive post-Milton clean-up.
Operational Update/9 – Hurricane Milton
— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) October 11, 2024
Our airport is open and operational for all commercial flights. Please check with your airline directly for any specific updates prior to your travels. Welcome back! pic.twitter.com/xzZoM31sNU
Only days after a shutdown on 8 October, Tampa International Airport also returned to “near-full” operational strength on Monday with a full schedule operating all week, thanks to what Vice President John Tiliacos described as “careful planning, preparation, and execution ahead of this historic hurricane.” Meanwhile, Key West and Florida Keys Marathon international airports were unaffected by the storm.
And other Floridian travel infrastructure is also now open for business and traffic as usual, including all 42 bridges on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway, and the Port of Key West.
All that means that the state is intending to welcome “previously planned press trips to Florida” and is going ahead with a regional Expedia campaign and its “‘Gift of Florida’ campaign will continue as scheduled in November and December,” Young insisted.
What about the destruction?
While content creators are being brought on board to help the state showcase unaffected areas, for areas that have been worse affected the tourism agency has a different plan, Young explained. “In the coming weeks, we will roll out a larger crisis recovery initiative, with several million dollars in planned investment, to further support impacted destinations,” the chief exec said.
