 |
CLEARWATER, FL (January 2000) - In an effort to capitalize on its award-winning beaches, record sunshine and world-class cultural opportunities, the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau has branded the destination as "Florida's Beach."
Emphasizing that the area has "everything Florida, and more," the new image includes an updated logo, Web site, collateral and attitude for the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area. All CVB sales and marketing campaigns as well as customer service initiatives will serve to reinforce the Florida's Beach brand.
"We want to let people know that we have everything they imagine when they picture a Florida Beach vacation," said Carole Ketterhagen, executive director of the CVB. "And that goes beyond the beach to museums, nature-based attractions, quaint villages and more. It is a new attitude that we are relating through everything we do, from our new Web site, to our call center, and at every possible customer service opportunity."
The brand features a new Web site at FloridasBeach.com highlighted by expanded area information, a new event calendar on the area, special sections for members of the travel industry and the opportunity for visitors and travel agents to book accommodations electronically. All destination collateral has been recreated to focus on the feel of Florida's Beach.
Florida and Florida's Beach are synonymous with sunshine. The Guinness Book of World Records credits St. Petersburg with the longest run of consecutive sunny days -- 768 days from Feb. 9, 1967 to March 17, 1969.
Three St. Petersburg/Clearwater area beaches are rated among the top in the United States by noted coastal geologist Stephen "Dr. Beach" Leatherman. His 1999 rankings list Caladesi Island as #6 and Fort De Soto Park #7 in the nation. Clearwater Beach ranks as the #1 city beach in the Gulf Region. No other single destination has three top public beaches in the study. Sand Key Park in Clearwater also consistently ranks among his top 20.
Florida's Beach is also home to several world-class museums including a cluster of six museums in downtown St. Petersburg alone. Area museums include the Salvador Dali Museum with the world's most comprehensive collection of the Spanish surrealist's work, the Florida International Museum featuring blockbuster exhibitions including the world's largest private collection of John F. Kennedy memorabilia in an interactive, walk-through format, and the Florida Holocaust Museum, the third-largest of its kind in the nation.
"Research showed that 75.9 percent of both Florida residents and out-of-state visitors thought Florida's Beach was an appropriate brand for the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area," Ketterhagen said. "The 26 communities that make up our area each have their own vibrant personality. We are everything you could ask for in a Florida beach - and more."
Florida's Beach is a 284 square-mile peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. No more than eight miles from the water at any point, it stretches from the Greek fishing village of Tarpon Springs in the north to Fort De Soto park where the Gulf of Mexico meets Tampa Bay. The area, also known as Pinellas County, is less than an hour from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and less than two hours from Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Studios Escape and Sea World.
The CVB is charged with increasing tourism and its economic benefits to the area, as well as increasing tourism-related employment. Florida's Beach is the leading destination on Florida's Gulf coast, drawing more than 4.4 million overnight visitors annually. It encompasses 26 communities including St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
|
|
Media
