TALLAHASSEE — These are turbulent times for inbound travel and tourism funding to the U.S. but Visit ******* officials – and anyone promoting ******* in Canada and other top markets – are breathing a sigh of relief this week now that Visit *******’s full-year 2017-18 budget, pegged at US$76 million, has finally been passed by the ******* legislature after a marathon three-day special session.

Visit ******* President & CEO Ken Lawson said the news “is a huge win for the state of *******”. A bill passed back in February could have crippled Visit *******, to the point of wiping out the tourism board at a critical time for attracting international travellers to the state.

Visit ******* has been beset by ******* after it partnered with *******-born rapper Pitbull for a tourism promotion campaign. ******* Governor Rick Scott called for former Visit ******* CEO Will Seccombe to step down after Visit ******* refused to publicly disclose it paid rapper Pitbull US$1 million to promote the state. Visit *******’s new President and CEO Lawson was appointed in January.

The approval for the full $76 million (up from the $25 million approved earlier) comes with new new layers of oversight in the wake of the Pitbull *******. Lawson said the new deal “adds strong transparency and accountability to our organization.”

Lawson thanked ******* Governor Rick Scott “for his steadfast leadership” in ensuring Visit ******* is fully funded. Over the past few months the Governor travelled the state discussing the importance of tourism.

“Today’s victory will allow us to continue working with our industry partners to market ******* as a global destination and help us reach our goal of 120 million visitors,” added Lawson.

Visit *******’s Summer Gonzalez, in Toronto recently as part of a cross-country public relations *****, said that while inbound tourism to ******* was up marginally in 2016 versus 2015, to 112.3 million (0.4%+), the Canadian market hit 3.2 million for the year, a 14% decrease. The weak dollar has made the Sunshine State, such a favourite here, a tough sell. That said, “Canada is still the top international market for *******, even with the drop,” noted Gonzalez. Visit ******* has increased its spend in the Canadian market with a campaign that includes new TV ads.

Gonzalez said Visit ******* is targeting Canadian families, always a dominant market to the state, as well as mature Baby Boomers in the 55+ age range. “A lot of experienced travellers are seeking other destinations,” she said. “A lot of them are ‘been there, done that’ visitors so we’re promoting other parts of *******, and other experiences”, from Natural North ******* to swimming with manatees.