My travel experiences during a recent vacation in Santa Fe, N.M., reminded me just how important it is that we keep the tradition of Southern hospitality alive and well here in Florida. That's because our visitor-related business is so important to the state's economy.
One of every eight Florida workers is employed in our $51-billion tourism and hospitality industries, and 20% of taxable sales revenue comes from travel trades and tourism.
It may smack of cliche, but "hospitality" is what the hospitality business is all about. And I don't just mean hotel properties. I mean all of our visitor-related businesses, attractions, restaurants,
retailers, car rental agencies and the like.
While 80% of our visitors come to Florida on vacation, 20% travel here on corporate, government or personal business or to attend conventions, trade shows and other business-related conferences. So even those of us who are not in the hospitality business per se have lots of opportunities to impress these visitors and potential new residents.
We've obviously been making a good impression because Florida tourism has held its own over the past several months. During the Governor's Conference on Tourism in August, Gov. Jeb Bush announced that Florida tourism is rapidly approaching pre-Sept 11 levels.
During April, May and June of this year, an estimated 19.4 million visitors came to Florida, down only 2% from the same time a year before.
Visit Florida's intensive advertising campaign during late 2001 and early 2002 went a long way in helping the industry get back on its feet. And while we're not where we'd like to be in terms of occupancy rates or room rates, these new numbers are good news.
Having lived in Florida all of my life, I've always appreciated the fact that visitors create more and better entertainment options for those of us who live here year-round. My feeling is shared by a majority of Floridians who were surveyed for Visit Florida. A very high 85% of the respondents agreed that tourism is a good thing for Florida, and more than two out of three said they enjoyed meeting and interacting with tourists.
The truth is, we need our visitors. We need them coming back. And remember, visitors are not only people who travel here from out of state -- sometimes they're our fellow Floridians.
Think about how you can make sure their impression of our state and your city or town is a positive one.
I spend part of 42 weeks every year on the road on business. Plus, I also like to travel for pleasure. It seems like whenever I return from an out-of-town trip, one of the first things people ask about is which restaurants I visited. During that recent trip to Santa Fe, which is known for its fabulous restaurants, I enjoyed dining at Coyote Cafe, Geronimo's and Ore House.
Now I can proudly say that Florida's Golden Spoon and Top 250 Restaurants are as good as what Santa Fe has to offer.
Almost always when traveling in Florida, I check out new restaurants I've learned about from friends and colleagues. I know many of you do, too. Please let us know what you've discovered by taking a moment to fill out the Golden Spoon ballot on page 83 in this issue. We'll announce the Golden Spoon and Best Newcomer winners in the second annual Florida Trend's Great Florida Restaurant Guide coming out in March.