Desperately Missing Canadians: A Chat With Visit Florida CEO Dana Young

February 3, 2021 Jim Byers

The annual Florida Huddle conference for media would normally have been held somewhere in the Sunshine State in January. Canadian Travel News Editor-in-Chief is a regular attendee and would have gone this year. But something called a pandemic got in the way. The show will go on next week on a virtual basis.

Florida, of course, loves their Canadian visitors and would very much like to welcome us back soon. We sat down for a Zoom chat this week with Dana Young, the CEO of VISIT FLORIDA, which markets the state in Canada and around the world.

Thanks for taking the time to chat, Dana. What is the general state of COVID-19 in Florida right now?

Florida is in a very unique situation in the U.S. in that we are truly open. Right now restaurants and bars are open. Hotels and vacation rentals are open and ready to welcome guests. Our theme parks like Disney, Universal and others are all welcoming guests with open arms. Obviously the beaches and parks (are open). We’re just ready to welcome people to our state when they’re ready to come. You will see masks, and people are taking appropriate precautions. But I think here in Florida, because we live so much of our life outside, even on the worst of days we feel a lot freer and are able to go about our lives in a normal way.

Are there distancing rules in effect or limited seating in restaurants ? Is dining all outdoors?

There are no statewide seating limitations on restaurants at this point. People are encouraged to wear masks, people are encouraged to social distance. Some local jurisdictions have their own requirements. But I think people coming here would be able to find plenty of opportunities for things to do that coincide with their comfort level.

What’s a normal year for Canadian visits to Florida? 2019 was the last full year, right?

Well, let me start out by saying we miss our Canadian winter residents. We want you to come back. It’s not the same without you! But, yes, 3.6 million Canadians came to the state (in 2019). We had an increase that year of about 2 per cent from the previous year.

We’ve heard issues about the Biden administration bringing in mandatory quarantines for visitors. Do you have more information on that? How would that affect Canadian visitation?

I don’t know the details of what the president has signed, but I will tell you that our governor is committed to doing everything that he can to give people the best experience here in Florida and to encourage visitors to come. I have seen several destinations and resorts that are offering things like, “You can quarantine at our five-star resort.” So, look, here in Florida we’re going to do whatever it takes to make people feel welcome. If there are requirements that are put in place by our federal government, and I hope there aren’t, then we will work around that and figure out how to make it a positive experience for everyone.

When do you think things might get back to some kind of normal?

Since the beginning of this pandemic we realized that it was critical for us to maintain our in-country representation and maintain our partnerships and relationships with Canada and our Canadian partners. So we’ve been working on that since March, really; just making sure those relationships stay strong and vibrant. We have recently partnered with The Weather Network and with Air Canada. I think that either has launched or is launching very, very soon, just to make sure that when Canadians are able to travel again, that we have some great opportunities that are already top of mind. We’re helping them dream about Florida.

Here’s a link to their local-drive-market/southern U.S. tourism video

What would you say to people about why Florida is a great spot to visit?

We have hundreds of miles of gorgeous beaches. But the interior of the state …. Is much more rural and open than people think. And so that was kind of the gist of our in-state marketing back in August to November; reminding Floridians how lucky they are to live here full-time and really encouraging them to get to know their state better and really get out there and see parts of the state they weren’t familiar with and take a vacation and support the industry. Now we’re in this drive market 700 miles from Florida with that ad.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit lots of lesser-known places like Apalachicola, Chokoloskee and Crystal River/Homosassa Springs. Will VISIT FLORIDA be marketing or talking about nature areas people don’t know about?

We’ve been marketing those areas in Canada in the past few years, but you can never do too much of that because Florida is such a huge state, and we love that Canadians come and stay so much longer than domestic tourists. We’re able to help Canadians see parts of Florida that, frankly, a lot of people who live here don’t see. It’s really unique and special. I went to Amelia Island for the first time during the pandemic, and I’d never been that before.

There are great nature experiences very close to the big cities, too, aren’t there?

There are so many amazing opportunities within a short drive of any major airport. I’ll just share with you a personal story. This past weekend was absolutely beautiful in Tampa, and my husband and I and a couple of friends rode our bikes downtown because we wanted to see what was going on with the Super Bowl, which of course is here on Sunday. We were on the (downtown Tampa) Riverwalk, which goes up the Hillsborough River, and we were all just sitting there looking around and talking and we said, “how lucky are we to live here.’ There were people all around but they were appropriately spaced, they were all outside, but they were all outside or riding on scooters or sitting on blankets. People were just having a wonderful time in a great place on a beautiful January day. There is a lot to do in the city, in the country and in the wilderness here in Florida. We have everything.

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