Florida launches tourism campaign as storm hits the north/Deal of Day: Paris

Miserable out today, ain't it? Flights cancelled over the place, roads a mess, biting winds and cascading snow all around.

Not to make it hurt too much, but the forecast for Dunedin and Clearwater Beach, Florida is sunny and 22 degrees Celsius, with only a 20 per cent chance of rain. Which makes the announcement of a new Florida tourism campaign all the more perfect.

On Thursday, VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, announced a new brand campaign that captures all the feelings of a Florida vacation experience in just four words: Must Be the Sunshine. It includes a great commercial that shows a penguin wandering into a hotel room filled with toys, such as golf clubs and a pink flamingo and a flying shark and a couple of famous mouse characters, plus a boy dressed as a pirate and a girl as a princess and tons more. I saw it a couple weeks ago at a Florida tourism conference and I think it's absolutely fabulous; touching all the buttons and more.

No plans to show it in Canada just yet, I'm told. Quite frankly, I think they're missing an opportunity. But we'll see. If you want to see it in the meantime, you can click here.

“There is nothing more powerful than a personal story being shared directly with others, and so at its core ‘Must Be the Sunshine’ is a storytelling campaign,” said Will Seccombe, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA.

The first television commercial, which will air in Detroit during Sunday’s Grammy Awards show, lands the viewer in the afterglow of an epic Florida family vacation.  In the months ahead – via TV, cinema, radio and print, as well as jumbotrons, subway station takeovers, commuter train wraps and even an interactive online game – “Must Be the Sunshine” will remind people why Florida vacations make great stories. 

“Unlike other destinations, we don’t have to invent the narratives,” said Susannah Costello, VISIT FLORIDA Vice President of Brand. “People are telling great Florida vacation stories all the time. This campaign capitalizes on that insight.”

The message has inspired some major participants.  Several of Florida’s heavyweights – Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, along with the Viva Florida 500 initiative, Florida State Parks and many other key tourism businesses – are all partnering together for the first time in the same TV ad.  Besides Sunday in Detroit, the commercial will play in Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Dallas on such programs as the Today Show, Good Morning America, American Idol and The Big Bang Theory.

AIR CANADA PREMIUM ECONOMY

As much as it makes sense for Air Canada (and WestJet) to introduce premium economy seating, it's going to make things a tad less pleasant in regular economy.

There's only so much room in an airplane, and by adding more seating with more space it means a crunch for the people at the back of the plane. Air Canada insists it's a minor change, but we'll have to wait and see. I bet it'll be noticeable for most folks. Toss in the added fees and lack of amenities on flights these days and we know why flying ain't so fun any more.

STAY TUNED FOR WESTJET ENCORE

WestJet on Monday will reveal some of the destinations it'll serve with its new regional carrier, Encore. They're not saying if they'll do the western part of the country first or the east, but you'd have to think they'll be adding flights out west versus the already crowded eastern market.

Communities all over western Canada have been clamouring for service, as they understand the benefits of planes full of tourists, business people and just plain visitors coming to their towns. The lobbying has been intense, and the announcement will be quite interesting.

VEGAS GOES TO SPAIN

This report from Associated Press: Las Vegas Sands casinos and Madrid officials have chosen the town of Alcorcon on the outskirts of the Spanish capital as the site for the multibillion-dollar "EuroVegas" casino project, which authorities hope will bring much-needed jobs and investment to the recession-wracked country.

Madrid regional government president Ignacio Gonzalez said Friday that work on the first of three phases would begin at the end of 2013 and would be completed by 2017. The entire project, initially comprising 12 hotels and six casinos, is to be finished by 2023 at an estimated cost of €22 billion.

Las Vegas Sands is to fund 35 per cent of the project. It is not clear where the remaining 65 per cent will come from.

Spain has a swollen deficit and 26 per cent unemployment

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, is offering a nine-day tour of some of the finest sights in France, including Paris and beautiful chateaux in the Loire Valley. The deal goes for $1,998 plus $510 in taxes for a total of $2,508 and is offered by Transat. Here are the details:

• SAVINGS: Save up to $674 per couple, compared to the cost of booking your air, accommodations, touring and meals separately!
• BONUS: $150 Future Travel Voucher per person
• BONUS: Extend your flight for up to 30 days at no additional cost (accommodations extra) and return from anywhere Transat flies in Europe
• 9-Day, 7-Night Royal Week in Paris Semi-Escorted Tour including visits to the Chateaux of the Loire Valley and Vaux-le-Vicomte, Palace of Versailles, a cruise along the Seine, and more 
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Paris on board Air Transat, and airport/hotel transfers in France
• 7 nights' accommodation in 4-Star hotels (double occupancy). Hotels include the following or similar: Mercure Gobelins Place d'Italie or Mercure Montmartre Sacre-Coeur
• Includes transportation via deluxe motorcoach, services of an English-speaking licensed tour guide, and all sightseeing and entrance fees as per itinerary
• Meals include 7 hot buffet breakfasts, 2 lunches (1 including wine) and a farewell dinner with wine 
• The tour is a mixture of guided sightseeing and independent time
• You'll tour famous sites like the Palace of Versailles
• Explore the amazing castles that dot the French countryside

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on August 23, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person):
  
  Single: $2269
  Double: $1998
  Tax: $509.67
  
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until February 13 at 5PM EST. After this time, this offer is 100% non-refundable