Jetsettersblog

Florida is ramping up online and social media resources to assist travelers when planning getaways and visiting the Sunshine State this summer.

The recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has raised many questions about the Florida beaches, especially for the holiday weekend.

To help visitors, and provide the most accurate and up-to-date information, Visit Florida, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, has developed dedicated resources on its website www.visitflorida.com/floridalive  to provide real time updates about conditions at the state’s beaches and popular destinations across the state.

“Florida has 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline and 663 miles of beaches. We know many visitors are concerned about recent events’ potential to affect their vacations and Visit Florida wants to do all it can to provide current and correct information,” said Will Seccombe, chief marketing officer at Visit Florida.

“Each year, Florida hosts more than 80 million visitors, many of them returning year after year. We value our relationships with our visitors and want to extend our ongoing bond with these guests by doing all we can to ensure their visits become cherished memories as they enjoy Florida’s many attractions, natural beauty, cultural heritage and resorts.”

The website’s features include live webcam feeds from destinations across the state; Google map-based Twitter feeds providing local updates on beach conditions, weather and activities; photos posted by “Florida Fans” and an extensive collection of vacation deals for a variety of Florida destinations.

The goal is to enable potential visitors to make their Florida vacation plans based on real time information from local sources.

To supplement the organization’s website activities, Visit Florida has also begun aggressive print, broadcast and online marketing campaigns to provide accurate and accessible information on Florida beaches and vacation destinations.

For more information, visit www.visitflorida.org