Posts tagged La Florida
Event Will Celebrate Tourism on Florida’s Historic Coast by St. Augustine Channel 1
May 20th
Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida’s Historic Coast features historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra and 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches – the same beaches that greeted Ponce de Leon in 1513 when he discovered and named La Florida.
“Tourism is truly the lifeblood of Florida’s Historic Coast,” said Richard Goldman, executive director of the Visitors and Convention Bureau. “Not only does the industry provide more than 11,000 jobs in St. Johns County, the 3.4 million overnight visitors who came here last year spent more than $660 million during their stay on Florida’s Historic Coast. Best of all, this essential economic activity is provided at no cost to local taxpayers. All of our tourism marketing activities are funded through the tourist development tax paid by visitors for overnight lodging. Last year, visitors paid $6.6 million in these ‘bed taxes’ – funds that were used to encourage millions of potential visitors to come here this year, help fund special events and to make improvements to beach and recreation facilities we all enjoy.”
This year’s review of local tourism will have lots of good news for the industry. Nearly every indicator shows impressive increases in the number of visitors and their spending while here. Clearly, the tourism industry has returned to the levels enjoyed prior to the economic downturn that began in 2008. In fact, recent data indicate tourism activity is nearing or exceeding monthly records.
As part of the event, the Visitors and Convention Bureau will review some of their major successes in placing Florida’s Historic Coast on the list of “must-sees” for millions of Americans. Much of this success has resulted from the Bureau’s contract and close working relationship with the Ypartnership advertising agency of Orlando which recently merged with MMG to form MMGY Global and stake their claim as the world’s unquestioned leaders in tourism marketing.
Once again, the centerpiece of the event will be a presentation by tourism visionary Peter Yesawich whose insights into tourism trends are followed closely by travel professionals worldwide. Formerly the chairman of Ypartnership and now the vice chairman of MMGY Global, Peter’s perspective on travel trends and changing consumer behavior, coupled with his intimate knowledge of Florida’s Historic Coast as a tourist destination will provide compelling information that can be successfully applied throughout the local tourism industry.
The State of the Tourism Industry event will also include the presentation of the coveted Tourism Employee of the Year Awards. The finalists represent the very best tourism employees on Florida’s Historic Coast and were selected on the basis of their exemplary service.
The event will take place at the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village, I-95 exit 323 in St. Augustine. Doors will open at 9 a.m. for coffee and pastries and the program will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. and end by 11:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend. Admission is $10. To secure a reservation for what is expected be an extremely well-attended event, call Carey Cramer at 829.1711 or email ccramer@floridashistoriccoast.com
Source: Jay Humphreys, Communications Director, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau
Culturally La Florida! VIVA FLORIDA St. Augustine
Apr 17th
Hosted and based at Flagler College, but with programs citywide as well as in Hastings and Palm Coast, Cullturally La Florida will offer a mix of lectures, presentations and performances that will appeal to everyone from academicians to school children. Among the topics to be covered are archeology, Native Americans, runaway slaves, Spanish missions, food, arts, ranching, maritime explorations, folklore and much more.
Culturally La Florida will begin ati 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 3 with Opening Ceremonies followed by a keynote address by Dr. Michael Gannon, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of History and member of the St. Augustine 450th Commemorative Commission. Dr. Gannon brings a unique perspective to the history of St. Augustine and Florida. Half a century ago, he served on the St. Augustine 400th Commemorative Commission.
Friday and Saturday will be filled with fascinating presentations on historical Spanish influences that began as early as 1513 with the arrival of Ponce de Leon and continue today. Field trips will explore commercial farming operations in Hastings and a visit to the Florida Agricultural Museum in Palm Coast will explain what Florida farm life was like throughout history and provide an interesting look at Spanish heritage livestock.
All of the events included in Culturally La Florida are free and open the public. Seating, however, will be on a first come, first served basis. For a complete program and full details, go to www.culturallylaflorida.org.
Flagler College thanks the following partners and sponsors for their assistance with this program: Florida Humanities Council, St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, St. Augustine Foundation, St. Johns County Visitor and Convention Bureau, City of St. Augustine, Nation’s Oldest Port National Heritage Area, Florida Public Archaeology Network, and Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.
“Funding for this program was provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.”
Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida’s Historic Coast features historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra, 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches – the same beaches that greeted Ponce de Leon in 1513 when he discovered and named La Florida – an area whose boundaries included what would later become the eastern United States. For more information on events, activities, holiday getaways and vacation opportunities in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, go to the Visitors and Convention Bureau website at www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com, become a fan on Facebook or call 1.800.653.2489.
Forbes Names St. Augustine One of 10 Prettiest Towns in America
Apr 4th
Here’s how Forbes described St. Augustine:
Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States occupied by Europeans (take that, Jamestown!), and it remained in Spanish hands until it was traded to the British for Havana. But the town has retained much of its Spanish past in some of its homes and larger architecture. “Castillo de San Marcos, the formidable 17th-century structure built by the Spanish to defend La Florida, is the country’s oldest fort, and boasts impressive turrets, a moat, and even a double-drawbridge,” says Arabella Bowen, executive editorial director for Fodor’s Travel. “The town’s picturesque historic district is full of old-world atmosphere, historic homes, and easily explored on foot.”
The other towns on the America’s “prettiest” list are: Newport, Rhode Island; Taos, New Mexico; Old San Juan, Puerto Rico; Columbus, Indiana; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Key West, Florida; Longview, Washington; San Luis Obispo, California; and Tarrytown, New York.
To see the Forbes article, click here.
This is the third major distinction received recently by St. Augustine. In December, National Geographic selected the city as one of the ten best places in the world to see holiday lights. In January, TripAdvisor chose St. Augustine as one of the 15 vacation “hot spots” for 2012.
Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida’s Historic Coast features historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra, 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches – the same beaches that greeted Ponce de Leon in 1513 when he discovered and named La Florida – an area whose boundaries included what would later become the eastern United States. For more information on events, activities, holiday getaways and vacation opportunities in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, go to the Visitors and Convention Bureau website at www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com, become a fan on Facebook or call 1.800.653.2489.
Source: St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, Visitors and Convention Bureau