The Impact of Visit Florida’s LGBTQ Travel Page Removal

Skift Take

We don’t know why the page was removed and Visit Florida won’t say. But it could hurt already strained relations with the LGBTQ community and it doesn’t make sense from a marketing perspective.

Dawit Habtemariam

Visit Florida has taken down its “LGBTQ Travel” page, a decision that could further damage relations with the LGBTQ community. And at least one other destination marketing organization in the state – Visit Lauderdale – has publicly distanced itself from the move. 

The page removal was first noted by Rachel Covello, who runs the travel blog OutCoast. The blog had been featured on the Visit Florida page, which provided information on beaches, destinations, businesses, and museums friendly to LGBTQ travelers.

Covello contacted Visit Florida but didn’t get clarity about the removal. “Nobody’s owning the decision that was made,” Covello told Skift. 

Visit Florida did not respond to Skift’s multiple requests for comment, which included three emails and two phone calls. The page’s removal was first reported by NBC News.

Visit Florida had previously worked to build strong bonds with LGBTQ tourism groups. 

“We supported LGTBQ travel for a long time, from sponsoring events at ITB to content to marketing. It’s been built in there for a long time,” said Will Seccombe, former CEO and president of Visit Florida from 2012 to 2017.

“They used to have very robust cooperative marketing efforts in the LGBTQ space,” said David Downing, who was CEO and president of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater between 2014 and 2019. “It was amazing. They oversaw so many opportunities for the local DMOs [destination marketing organizations] to get into that space. If this is the track they are taking, this will be a 180 from the space they used to be in. I can’t imagine a marketing strategy where that move makes sense.”

In 2022,  Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation (dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics) that banned discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity as part of formal instruction in public schools. After the law was enacted, Visit Florida CEO and President Dana Young, an appointee of DeSantis, told the Washington Post that diversity and inclusivity has “long been an integral component of our marketing efforts.”

Until 2019, Visit Florida partnered with Passport Magazine, a publication for LGBTQ travelers, on advertising and content production, said Don Tuthill, cofounder of Passport Magazine, a LGTBQ travel publication. He cut ties after DeSantis became governor and Visit Florida came under new management. “We put them on a ‘blacklist’,” he said. “How can I support someone who doesn’t support our community?”

In 2023, Equality Florida, a state advocacy group focused on LGBTQ rights, and the NAACP issued “travel advisories” to the state in response to the governor’s policies. Some LGBTQ and minority tourism professionals opposed the advisories on the grounds that they would harm the groups they were intended to help.

Florida’s Destinations Keep Their LGBTQ Travel Pages

While Visit Florida removed its page, other destination marketing organizations in Florida have kept their “Things To Do” pages geared toward LGTBQ travelers. The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visit Lauderdale, Visit Tampa Bay and Visit Orlando each still have their pages up.

“While Visit Florida removes its LGBTQ+ page from its website, Visit Lauderdale values, respects and sees those from marginalized communities and commits to providing them a welcoming and inclusive experience,” wrote Staci Ritter, CEO and president of Visit Lauderdale, on LinkedIn on Tuesday. 

“We’re out there marketing continually, globally, reminding them that we may be in the state of Florida, but Greater Fort Lauderdale is the bubble of diversity and inclusion,” said Richard Gray, senior VP of Inclusion and Accessibility at Visit Lauderdale.

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and Visit Orlando did not respond to requests for comment. 

Visit Tampa Bay declined to comment. “Visit Tampa Bay does not comment on decisions or campaigns made by other entities,” said a spokesperson.

Visit Florida is a public-private partnership funded primarily through the state legislature and private organizations. DeSantis appointed Young, the current CEO and president, in 2019.

Florida experienced a record year in tourism in 2023, with over 140 million visitors.The meetings sector also had a strong year. “In 2023, revenue was up by 13% and grew faster for meetings and convention bookings than for leisure bookings,” Young told Skift in April. “I think those sorts of advisories are publicity stunts more than anything.”