BACKROOM BRIEFING: Dark clouds remain over Florida tourism – Sarasota Herald
TALLAHASSEE — International tourist spending in the United States might not return to pre-coronavirus levels until 2024, the former head of Florida’s tourism-marketing agency warned members of the Economic Club of Florida this week.
And for a state more reliant than most on tourism, the update from Christopher Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA, didn’t paint a sunny picture.
Thompson, making an in-person appearance Wednesday at the Governor’s Club in Tallahassee, said that even with a vaccine for the coronavirus, consumers will need to be confident about their health while traveling and while at the destinations.
“Today’s environment is the worst we’ve ever faced,” Thompson said. “While the rest of the economy is in a recession, the travel industry is in a depression.”
Thompson, who served as chief operating officer and president of Visit Florida a decade ago, said more than 50% of the hospitality industry is facing unemployment.
Brand USA, focused on international travel to the states, has scaled back spending from up to $15 million a month to less than $2 million, preparing campaigns for when the travel market gears back up.
Thompson said Brand USA is waiting for people to once again “be inspired” about traveling to the United States.
“We’re not forcing it on them. It’s more organic,” he said. “We’re giving them a chance to do it.”
Visit Florida has set aside $13 million to market toward a tourism rebound, with the emphasis in an initial phase on getting Floridians to explore other parts of the state. The money is a carry-over from ad campaigns shut down in the spring because of the virus, which began reducing tourism during the first quarter of 2020.
Second quarter travel numbers, which should fully reflect the economic impact of the virus, have not been released for the state.
Meanwhile, other hospitality news continues to drag as the state approaches the midpoint of the third quarter.
Cruise Lines International Association announced Wednesday ocean-going cruise lines are suspending operations until November. Meanwhile, restaurant and theme park are operating with reduced occupancy, and bars are closed because of the virus.
Fried focused (but looking)
Amid widespread speculation that Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried might run against Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022, Fried added some fuel to the talk on Wednesday.
Appearing on WIOD radio in Miami to discuss a new coronavirus safety awareness campaign, Fried responded to a question about positioning herself for a gubernatorial run with a brief, “something I’m looking into.”
“Right now, my main focus is getting our state through this, making sure that agriculture, as we started at the top of our conversation, is stronger after the pandemic,” Fried said at the end of a 10-minute interview on the Brian Mudd Show.
“But you know, to be honest, you know, I’m hearing throughout the entire state that people are worried about the current leadership,” Fried continued. “So, it would not be, it’s definitely something I’m looking into. But right now, my focus is certainly getting our state through this pandemic and agriculture stronger than ever.”
Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, won her Cabinet office by less than 7,000 votes in 2018. She can run for re-election in 2022.
Fine gives thanks
State Rep. Randy Fine, who is being treated for the coronavirus at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Brevard County, credited supportive comments on social media for helping him fight the virus he’s had for more than two weeks.
“I would say this, if you want your faith in humanity restored, go look at the comments on my Facebook post where I announced that I was going to come to the hospital,” the Republican posted in a video from his hospital bed. “I mean, I cannot put into words how much it’s meant to me.”
One of three state lawmakers who has publicly said they have tested positive for the virus, Fine was admitted to the hospital Sunday after X-rays showed he had “some pretty serious damage in my lungs.”
Via Facebook, Fine gave directions to his re-election campaign, noted the hydroxychloroquine he’s taken isn’t “some kind of magic solution,” and said the hospital stay is giving him “a little bit of a taste of what prison feels like,” as he is prohibited from wandering around while positive for the virus and hooked up intravenously to medications. He also noted that while he could go home soon, his recovery could take months or longer.
Fine wrote that he doesn’t “ask people to pray for me because I usually feel like there’s better things for people to pray for than me.” But he said he made an exception in this case, and thousands of people have responded with support.
“I’ll never forget it, I’ll tell you this, for the rest of my life,” he wrote.
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