TORONTO — One of Florida’s top vacation destinations, The Palm Beaches, has already surpassed 2019 visitor numbers from its #1 international market: Canada.

Close to 153,000 Canadians visited The Palm Beaches in the first three months of 2023. That’s up 28% from 2022, and an increase of 16% over 2019.

The Palm Beaches team is in Toronto this week to share the great news about The Palm Beaches’ performance – overall the destination is up 8.5% over last year, for a total of 2.8 million visitors – and to also make sure Canadian travel advisors have the latest updates to help them sell this popular beach, culture ’n culinary destination. Oh, and don’t forget golf.

“The Palm Beaches has more than 160 golf courses,” says Erick Garnica, Associate Vice President – Global Leisure Sales, The Palm Beaches. “We have beaches. We have culture. We have an amazing culinary scene. It’s the diversity of the experience in The Palm Beaches that sets us apart.”

The Palm Beaches has been represented in the Canadian market by VoX International since early 2019. Tonight VoX and The Palm Beaches will be hosting a trade event at Sassafraz in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING IN THE PALM BEACHES

The Palm Beaches spans 39 cities (and a whole lot of Atlantic Ocean coastline), from Boca Raton in the south, to Jupiter in the north.

The Palm Beaches calls itself ‘America’s First Resort Destination’, and with good reason. Back in the late 1800s, multimillionaire businessman (and tourism visionary) Henry Flagler invested his fortune in building railways along Florida’s east coast, and beautiful resorts. Palm Beach was a favourite vacation destination in no time, especially the Palm Beach Inn.

Never heard of it? It was later renamed The Breakers.

These days, The Breakers Palm Beach is the grande dame in The Palm Beaches’ resort scene, which includes more than 220 hotels, including newcomers like The Ben, Autograph Collection in West Palm Beach. Some of the best-known luxury hotels here, along with The Breakers, include Eau Palm Beach, The Boca Raton and The Colony.

Worth Avenue Clock Tower, Palm Beach

VALUE FOR MONEY

While these hotels are the epitome of luxury, it’s important for clients to know that The Palm Beaches offers trusted brand hotels and budget-friendly options too. And there are deals. From May through August, many properties offer savings in the form of buy-one-get-one offers and value-added incentives such as F&B and/or spa credits.

Plus, this month travellers can take advantage of The Palm Beaches Savings Pass, offering discounts on

area attractions. Current pass participants include Cox Science Center and Aquarium, Palm Beach Jupiter Dolphin Tours, Shark Wake Park, Silverball Retro Arcade, Visit Palm Beach Adventure Center, West Palm Beach Food Tours, and Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds.

For clients already planning next year’s trip, here’s a heads up: savings at The Palm Beaches’ cultural institutions are plentiful during ‘MOSAIC’ (Months of Shows, Art, Ideas & Culture) in May. The Palm Beaches is home to 200+ arts and cultural offerings, including world-class museums, performance venues and galleries.

And what about those golfers? There are deals for them too. The South Florida PGA Golf Pass (now in its 29th year) offers discounts valid May 1 through Oct. 31 at courses throughout South Florida, including 20 courses in The Palm Beaches.

GETTING THERE, GETTING AROUND

It’s easy for Canadians to get to The Palm Beaches, and it’s easy to combine a visit to The Palm Beaches with other Florida destinations too, thanks to the high-speed rail line, Brightline.

Lift from Canada is plentiful. There’s seasonal direct lift from Montreal and Toronto direct into Palm Beach International (PBI), typically offered October through April, plus a long list of other flight options from gateways across Canada into MIA and FLL (both within an hour’s drive of The Palm Beaches) and also MCO.

Once clients are in The Palm Beaches, the new Brightline train offers a quick and enjoyable way to get around to other parts of Florida. Two of the stations are in The Palm Beaches: Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. Also on the route map are Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. Soon a new station will open right in Orlando’s airport, plus there’s word of Tampa getting onboard with Brightline too.

White Elephant Palm Beach

TRAVEL ADVISOR TOOLS

For its travel advisor partners, The Palm Beaches includes a trade-dedicated portal on its site. Go to ThePalmBeaches.com and click on ‘Travel Professionals’ to access a Travel Trade Professionals Toolkit, a Travel Trade Guide and more.

Travel advisors can also take The Palm Beaches’ e-learning course on The Learning Centre. A new proprietary certification course is expected to be launched  by the end of 2023.

Travel advisors are crucial for The Palm Beaches’ success in Canada, says Garnica. “They’re an extension of our sales team.”

BEACH UPDATE

The tourism team behind The Palm Beaches knows that, for all the destination’s many charms, it’s the beaches that most visitors come to enjoy. And The Palm Beaches, with 75 kilometres of Atlantic coast beaches, has plenty.

Florida along with many Caribbean destinations has been challenged in recent years by a stronger-than-usual bloom of sargassum, which typically peaks in South Florida in June and July.

The Palm Beaches team notes that beach conditions are normal at this time and can be monitored on Environmental Resources Management’s (ERM) link to live beach cams. The link can be found here.

AN UNCONDITIONAL WELCOME TO EVERYONE

The Palm Beaches team also underlined its message of unconditional welcome to any and all would-be visitors to the destination. In recent weeks major organizations including the NAACP and the largest LGBTQ group in the U.S. have warned about travel to Florida, as political rhetoric hits new highs (or lows).

“Prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility [DEIA] are central, strategic pillars of our organization,
marketing plan and the way we do business,” says the team. “Our 39 cities, villages, and towns welcome everyone. Discover The Palm Beaches strives to cultivate a tourism experience that is reflective of its diverse
community, where all visitors always feel welcome.

“We pride ourselves on our vibrant blend of people, cultures and coastal towns that welcomes everyone. We saw over 9 million visitors last year, people that felt safe, welcomed, and excited to travel to a destination where business gets done and memories are made.”

More information on The Palm Beaches’ DEIA-specific efforts can be found here.

Complete destination information can be found at ThePalmBeaches.com.

Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach