Recently it was discovered that Visit Florida, the State agency in charge of promoting tourism quietly rejected and deleted any reference to LGBTQ travelers. This made headline news across the U.S. and the world. IGLTA CEO and president John Tanzella, whose organization is based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida voiced his concern.
Visit Florida must align with the State.
“Visit Florida is a taxpayer-funded organization, and as such, Visit Florida — our marketing strategy, our materials, and our content — must align with the state.”
According to a report published by Travel Weekly, these are the words by Visit Florida CEO Dana Young at a board meeting this week.
- Does it mean taxpayers in Florida don’t want LGBTQ visitors?
- Does it mean the State of Florida can openly discriminate against the LGBTQ community?
- Are LGBTQ second-class citizens by policy?
Florida Governor Ron Desantis
It seems to be another political witchhunt by Ron Desantis, the Republican governor, and a good friend of Mar-a-Largo, Florida residing former President Donald Trump.
Bizarre guidelines for LGBTQ Visitors in Florida
Following such bizarre guidelines in the State of Florida, Visit Florida is correct to notice, that the Sunshine State enjoys record numbers of visitors without catering to this group. To add insult to this policy to have removed LGBTQ pages from visitflorida.com, the Visit Florida CEO proudly pointed out its special pages on African Americans and Latinos.
What about African Americans and Latinos?
Does it mean African Americans and Latinos are all part of the queer community, or does it mean these two groups should replace LGBTQ visitors?
Richard Gray, an outspoken tourism leader for Visit Fort Lauderdale is not happy and shares a different global position paper with eTurboNews. Richard pioneered for Fort Lauderdale to become one of the most popular rainbow destination in the U.S.
Global Positioning Statement:
“Visit Fort Lauderdale stands unwavering in its commitment to inclusivity and diversity. We firmly believe that Greater Fort Lauderdale is a destination for everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, body size or disability. We will continue to celebrate and support our vibrant LGBTQ+ community and allies through dedicated programs, events, and resources that ensure every visitor feels seen, respected, and welcomed. At Visit Lauderdale, our doors are open to all, and we are proud to be a beacon of inclusivity and acceptance, as we welcome Everyone Under the Sun.”
LGBTQ Visitors in Fort Lauderdale
- Greater Fort Lauderdale welcomes more than three million LGBT+ visitors every year, who spend more than $1.3 billion in our area.
- Greater Fort Lauderdale is Florida’s LGBTQ+ capital. It has been recognized as having the highest concentration of same-sex couple households in the country.
- Stacy Ritter, President and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, has been a champion in making Greater Fort Lauderdale a truly inclusive destination for all.
- Visit Lauderdale is the first Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) in the nation to have an Inclusion and Accessibility Department, led by Richard Gray, Senior Vice President of Inclusion and Accessibility.
- Greater Fort Lauderdale rolled out the “Everyone Under the Sun” campaign in 2022 to reflect our welcoming and inclusive community for all.
- Diversity is our strength. People from more than 170 countries speaking 147 languages call Greater Fort Lauderdale home.
Many in Florida remain proud
Visit Fort Lauderdale is proud of its website to continue welcoming LGBTQ visitors to its community with open arms.
