Discussion and History of Tourism in Florida - Essay Example

The beginning of tourism in Florida was through famous and wealthy people coming to vacation in the state. Some of these individuals loved the place so much that they were open to staying in the country to start a business or do farming. One of the people who stood out Henry S. Flagler who loved the sunshine states so much that he decided to invest in Florida just after his first visit to the country in 1883. He made investments of his wealth through building railroads and hotels in Florida (Allman, 2013). As the development of railroads increased it became easier for people to travel to the state. Moving to Florida was made easier by these railways by the year 1890 and people as far as New York would easily access the state.

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The early 1900s marked a time when many tourists were coming to Florida. They came to enjoy various aspects of the state including the new hotels, enjoy Floridas natural beauty, partake of the warm weather, and others came to relax and recover from illness. There was recognizable and wealthy individual including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harriet Beecher Stowe who constructed winter homes in the country and would spend months in Florida staying in these homes (Allman, 2013). The automobile came with the ease to travel, and as acquiring them become less expensive, more people moved to Florida to have fun. Since hotels were still expensive, they would buy their beds and food. Some slept in their cars and ate canned food which made them become the tin-can tourists.'

Airplanes came about in 1930, and their presence only meant more visitors for Florida. The state constructed airports in the central cities which made traveling around the country easier for the tourists. During the same time, the art decor style on various building in Miami Beach was developed by architects in the state. This design was famous during the depression era, and tourists still visit Florida to see the Art Deco District. Tourism quickly rose to become Floridas primary source of income after the World War II (Houston, 2013). Various sites and activities mainly attracted people to Florida. These included the Everglades, the white sandy beaches, forests and national parks. They also engaged in activities like hiking, boating, swimming, fishing and much more.

Various theme parks came up in the state, and the most noticeable one was the Walt Disney World Resort constructed in 1971 and was and still is considered to be one of the largest resorts globally. The park brought about fourteen billion dollars in revenue to the economy of Orlando in its first year of operation. It is considered a city in itself with various parts of the theme park that include animal kingdom, camp wilderness, Disneys magic kingdom and much more.

The state is also home to Cypress Gardens, Universal Studios, and Sea World. Tourism up to this day is still the most significant force behind the economy of Florida. There is an estimation that up to forty million visits the state every year and the money they spend during their visits supports numerous businesses in the state (Richards). It is the states biggest source of income with revenue amounting to forty billion shillings every year. Growth in tourism means the growth of Florida.

Interest groups or other prominent actors in tourism

Several groups and individuals have stake in the tourism industry in Florida. The most important one is the stage government of Florida. The government is the first beneficiary of the sector of tourism and therefore holds a high percentage of stakes in the industry. Tourism is also what defines Florida. As mentioned earlier the more travel increases, the better Florida becomes. It is an indication that the state is tied t its tourism industry such that there will be no operations without tourism. There are other organizations like the Caribbean cruise association and the international air transport association. These are key agencies in the industry considering the roles they play.

They are both organizations that offer services to tourists especially cruising services and air transportation. These two are essential parts of the tourists package for those who visit Florida. The ministry of tourism which is part of the stage government also has an influence on what goes on in the tourism industry in the state. It is these official bodies that develop standards that help govern the provision of goods and services in the industry. It is also the body that ensures there are rules to govern what stakeholders in the industry do and that the tourist always has a good time. Hotels and restaurants are also important stakeholders in the states tourism industry. They offer food, accommodation and other experiences the tourists might love. Their role in the sector is essential that it acts as the backbone of the industry. People will go swimming or visit the sandy beaches, but they always come back to eat. Food is also necessary for basic survival, and these hotels and restaurants provide just that. There is also the tours and travels organizations whose role precise. They contribute to the overall experience of the tourists.

Being the primary economic support system for Florida, tourism houses the other sectors in Floridas economy. All the other industries build around tourism because they depend on the impact of tourism to make it in the Florida economy. It is, therefore, evident that tourism is the backbone of the state but several other economic areas like the transportation sector gain a lot from what goes on in tourism. Florida is a state built around tourism and if the industry collapses the nations takes a downward spiral too. Visit Florida is also an organization that is part of the tourist industry in Florida. It plays the primary function of doing marketing for the state at an international level. The team shows the beauty of Florida to the world and gives people a reason to visit the country and become tourists who visit all the time. It is, therefore, evident that a lot of effort goes towards tourism in Florida and many organizations and individuals are working towards keeping Florida on the global map due to travel.

Policymakers in Florida's tourism industry

There are various decision-makers involved in the tourism sector in the state of Florida. As mentioned earlier most of the influence on this industry is the state government which is a significant stakeholder in matters concerning tourism. Within the state government, there is the department of tourism which helps in coming up with policies affecting the industry in conjunction with other relevant bodies of travel that has a more direct contact with the industry. There is also VISIT FLORIDA which is a tourism marketing corporation which serves as an official source of planning for visitors around the world who may want to come to Florida. Though it is a non-governmental organization, it has a particular influence on what goes on in the tourism industry in Florida. It is a public-private partnership created by the states legislature.

There is also the GOTED which is part of the department of economic opportunity of 2011. Though the name of the department has changed, it still plays a role in the tourism industry, especially in job creation. The body and others that have their focus on tourism work on ensuring that there are sufficient job opportunities created by the tourism industry in the state. The tourism sector has the responsibility of providing job opportunities for the Florida citizens. The industry boasts of creating up to more than seventy-five thousand jobs in the state thus helping watch the economy of Florida.

Incentives operating on policymakers

As mentioned earlier tourism is the backbone of the survival of the state of Florida. It is an indication that the industry needs to take place in a certain way to ensure its survival and its continued development. It is the reason why policymakers work as they do. In most instances, the policymakers ensure that whatever policy or plan developed concerning the tourism industry aims for the development of the industry, the state, and its people. The state government knows the role tourism plays towards developing the nation and therefore works towards developing policies that help build the industry.

It is the reason why the state government and other decision-makers in tourism take the industry with a lot of seriousness and would work on preventing any factors that might be a source of damage to tourism. It is also the reason why there are other bodies outside of the state government and its officials specifically VISIT FLORIDA whose primary focus is the tourism industry and how well it is performing. Such organizations help keep the industry in check through identification of well-performing areas within the tourist industry in Florida. They help shade light in where things are going on well and also address areas of weakness and to be improved.

It is, therefore, evident that policymakers play a crucial role in ensuring the stability of the tourism industry in the state. They help come up with ways of buffering the sector from factors that might cause harm to its stability, and this occurs mainly through the policies created to govern tourism in the state. Other non-governmental organizations also play a significant role in ensuring that the policies and all those involved in the tourism industry are in check. They help identify and loopholes that might exist or specific areas of weakness within the industry and within all those individuals and organizations involved in tourism.

Evaluation and conclusion

Tourism in Florida is on the rise ever since it came into existence in the 1890s by people who came to the place, loved it and thus invested in its development. It is such efforts that were the boost to the then tourism industry that has slowly developed over time to become the influential factor of the Florida economy. The industry has established with the many changes that take place in the country, but it is only developing towards the best. Tourism is how Florida thrives and how the nation stays ahead of other states in the United States. It is the reason why big names like Universal Studios and Walt Disney opted to set up shop in Florida and not anywhere else. These big companies understand the potential Florida has and especially the number of people the nation attracts from around the world.

It only shows how important tourism is to Florida and the United States as a whole. It, therefore, leads to the setting of laws and policies that help protect the industry. The nation needs to keep moving, and it can only do so through tourism. It will, therefore, do whatever it takes to ensure travel stands tall for as long as it takes. The nation faces competition concerning tourism from other similar destinations like Hawaii.

It is, therefore, necessary that measures are put in place to ensure the land stays ahead of the rest. It is pulling a huge number of people to the nation, and the numbers are only going to increase. The country and tourism industry, therefore, needs to be prepared for the continued increase in the number of tourists who come to the state. The industry, however, is only getting better in Florida and its development only occurs through the services it offers to those who visit. It is, therefore, the nations desire that all products and services are of high quality.

References

Allman, T. D. (2013). Finding Florida: The true history of the sunshine state. Grove/Atlantic, Inc..

Houston, J. R. (2013). The value of Florida beaches. Shore and Beach, 81(4), 4-11.

Richards, A. Wild Florida: Tourism before Disney, Exhibit Brochure.