The CEO of Visit Florida, the state’s main
tourism organization, explained nearly a week later why the group removed the
LGBTQ+ travel section from its website.
Her comments at an annual tourism
convention in Tampa appeared unsatisfactory.
“It’s fairly simple. 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,” said Visit Florida
CEO
Dana Young.
The organization was nationally criticized
for removing the section, including a passage that read the state’s beaches
were “a draw for people of all orientations, but especially appealing to a gay
community looking for a sense of belonging and acceptance.”
Visit Florida had previously been lauded
for its inclusive practices and the LGBTQ community has long been a travel powerhouse.
Young declined to elaborate on her
comments.
“It doesn't make any sense from a business
perspective,” said Rachel Covello, a St. Pete-based LGBTQ travel blogger who
first discovered the missing link about a month ago. “It makes the LGBTQ people
living in Florida and traveling to Florida think that the state just doesn't
care about us.”
Covello said she never received an
explanation on why the link was removed from the travel website.
“It was a very blanket, surface answer,”
she said. “They’re saying they’re falling in line with administration, but they
welcome all to Florida. That doesn’t make sense together.”
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