The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau hosted this year’s Florida Huddle, the Sunshine State’s official travel trade show aiming to highlight Florida as the No. 1 destination in the world.
The trade show allows travel suppliers from across the state to meet with hundreds of domestic and international buyers; this year’s show welcomed 224 travel buyers—the highest participation coming from the U.S. and the United Kingdom; buyers from Germany, Canada, India, China, and France also participated.
Delegates at Florida Huddle included visitor bureaus from across the state, hotel brands, theme park destinations, and top Florida experiences, from airboat rides through Everglades National Park to Kennedy Space Center, as well as hot air balloon rides over Orlando and yacht sailings along Florida’s coast.
This year’s show also saw an increase in participation from 614 delegates to 668, and from 314 companies participating to 395. “The level of participation in Florida Huddle this year signals that the state is well positioned to build on our tremendous momentum and make 2015 another record year for Florida tourism,” said VISIT FLORIDA president and CEO, Will Seccombe during a press conference.
Seccombe says VISIT FLORIDA is expecting higher visitor numbers in 2014, since 2013 saw a record year: 93.7 million visitors, up 2.3 percent. The number of overseas visitors also increased by 7.9 percent in 2013 as Florida welcomed 11.2 million international travelers and 3.7 million Canadians.
Next year, Florida Huddle 2016 will be hosted by the city of Tampa Bay, Jan. 26-28, 2016. For more information on Florida Huddle, visit floridahuddle.com.
