Orlando hopes ads will draw more Brits

[wickesy]

From the Orlando Sentinel

For the first time, Orlando tourism promoters will launch a fall advertising campaign this year in the United Kingdom, a once-robust market that is now sending fewer and fewer visitors across the Atlantic to spend money in Central Florida.

Though tallies for 2006 are not yet available, visitors-bureau researchers are projecting a 2.8 percent decline in travelers from the United Kingdom last year to 1.03 million people. A 3.4 percent increase is projected for this year, to 1.07 million.

In addition to the television component, ads also will run in newspapers The Mirror and News of the World, which have a combined circulation of about 2 million.

All sounds good until I read this bit:

Discover America is pushing legislation that would provide $200 million in marketing dollars through a new visa-waiver fee charged to people from countries in which there is no visa requirement to travel to the U.S.

Now if I am reading this right that means they want to charge us, among other countries, so they can advertise for more of us to go to Orlando

 

[UKDEB]

How odd. Unless I'm missing something, Discover America is advocating charging us to enter in order to fund promotion of the same.

 

[arieljasmine]

That's the way I read it too. How bizarre, and not good for us

Laur's

 

[florida sun]

No not good at all

 

[Kevin Stringer]

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

Kev

 

[Dimplenose]

We'd pay for it one way or another. It seems a bit odd to be so blatant about it though.

Libby

 

[mikki.young]

It does seem a bit like cutting your nose off to spite your face......

 

[daipp]

I've read it a few times and it does seem to be quite strange

David

 

[Minniespal]

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

Kev

 

[natalielongstaff]

It does seem a bit like cutting your nose off to spite your face......

very bizarre

 

[wils]

Very Odd

 

[wifey]

They should be grateful for all us Brits who have kept going on our hols to America since the whole 9/11 thing, frequent visitors should not be providing more financing through a scheme like that. If we didn't go then they would have a significantly reduced tourism revenue and it would hit Florida hard as well as other destinations which rely on tourism. We've already been hit with the extra tax this year and the Visas are not cheap or easily attainable it will put off lots of families if they do charge us for that service.

 

[swilshire]

When we bought tickets to fly into Manchester next month, the cost of the ticket was around $450. The taxes added up to $300 more. I don't follow the news regularly from your country, but it seems your government is also doing a lot to discourage tourism.

With the exchange rate as it is and the cost of lodging in Orlando compared to London, I'd expect folks from the UK to be flocking to the US in droves. I'm really in sticker shock at how expensive everything is over there and I'm actually sorry I planned this trip. If we didn't have so many non-refundable items booked already, I'd boot it and stay in the US.

Now that we're commited, though, we're all very excited to be headed your way.

sheila

 

[Dimplenose]

When we bought tickets to fly into Manchester next month, the cost of the ticket was around $450. The taxes added up to $300 more. I don't follow the news regularly from your country, but it seems your government is also doing a lot to discourage tourism.

It's not just tourism but travel in general that the government are trying to discourage. I can't remember the percentages but the majority of the cost of petrol is taxes, and then there are rail fares that just go up and up, and tube fares - when I first moved to the London area public transport was so cheap but now you really have to think and plan ahead before you travel.

Sheila, I hope that you have a good trip despite the cost.

Libby

 

[lexie32]

we got back earlier today, something we did notice was we were pounced on at every disney park by researchers wanting to know about where we were from, which itv tv area we recieved and what advertising we had seen before we came, both tv and in the papers.

 

[MorningGlory]

I've seen alot of advertising on TV over the past week or so for a new website, visitflorida.travel/uk.

Just had a look at it there, looks like there is some decent info on it, although some parts of the site dont seem to be online yet.

 

[SimonV]

The website is just the supposed UK version of the Visit Florida tourist organisation. It tends to be very generic and there is not much that is UK-specific or UK-orientated. Their website is WAY behind many other for being useful (like this one!).

As regards the question about the visa waiver fee, I think the article has mis-reported what is being proposed, as this is certainly not something that was announced at the big Pow-Wow US travel convention that we attended. I will double-check, though, to see if they are trying to be sneaky about the cost of funding this programme.