A New Survey Reveals Why People Choose to Visit Florida

Source: Deposit Photos
A new survey conducted by the University of Florida has revealed why people choose to visit Florida for their vacation – and found that social media plays a huge role in that decision.
According to the University of Florida news, the travel survey examined the types of information people consumed when looking to vacation in Florida and how they felt it impacted their decision-making, including their intention to book their trip.
The 12 variables examined include infrastructure development; culture and history; tourist attractions; technological advancement; resources stewardship; price competitiveness; destination personability and images; openness/hospitality; traditional vs. digital marketing campaigns; intervention frequency and crisis management; crowdedness level; and frequency of hosting conventions/trade shows.
Forty percent of the respondents said they were impacted by social media, 18% by TV/travel-related programs, and 14% by travel articles and news when they made their destination decisions.
Both local and non-Florida visitors indicated that beautiful scenery, price competitiveness, destination images, varieties of culture and history, tourist attractions, level of hospitable communities/residents, and level of crowdedness all impacted their travel decisions.
According to the University of Florida, participants were most likely to list Disney and fun when asked to provide what they liked most about their most recent trips to Florida and beaches. When asked to provide three things that need to be improved in Florida, respondents were most likely to list traffic, crowdedness, and prices.
“These findings give valuable insight for marketers in the tourism industry throughout the state,” said Rachel J. C. Fu, Ph.D., director of the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute at UF and chair of the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management in UF’s College of Health and Human Performance. “They would be wise to focus their efforts on social media to attract consumers to visit Florida.”
“The scenery and experiences Florida offers are unique to anywhere else in the country,” Fu continued. “Visitors are highly influenced by the stories and experiences of others they see on social media. Respondents’ top three travel motivations included relaxing physically and mentally, spending time with their family, and relieving stress and tension.”