The Situation
As VISIT FLORIDA’s leadership team determined it was an opportune time to take a current pulse on how Florida residents think and feel about living in the state as well as measure awareness of the Share a Little Sunshine resident social media campaign, the organization contracted Destination Analysts to conduct resident sentiment research. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, VISIT FLORIDA additionally sought an in-depth understanding of how the coronavirus situation impacts resident lifestyle, quality of life and tourism to the state.
Destination Analysts’ Designed Solution
Destination Analysts worked closely with the VISIT FLORIDA research team to develop and design the survey questionnaire, ensuring that it covered key objectives and incorporated the goals of the Marketing, Industry Relations & Sales and Public Relations teams within the organization. In addition, survey topics covered resident sentiment on how tourism affects the state’s natural resources and whether tourism is an important source of funding for environmental improvement projects. The survey was fielded online amongst a sample of 2,000 Florida residents.
The Organization’s Success
The findings of this research unveiled that Florida residents express a high level of pride in living in the state and that they see tourism as vital to the state’s economy and future. Insights were also analyzed based on region of residence, Native Floridians vs. Floridian transplants, length of Florida residence, generation, and other groups of interest. Findings from this research were used in various capacities by each organizational department. VISIT FLORIDA conducts this research annually with Destination Analysts.