Citrus County Tourism Bureau and Local Businesses Welcoming Back Visitors
Although Crystal River, Homosassa, and other areas along the west coast of Citrus County, Florida, experienced significant impacts from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the destination is quickly rebounding and open for business. To get the word out to visitors, Discover Crystal River Florida, Citrus County’s tourism bureau, is preparing to launch a national marketing campaign focusing on the upcoming start of Manatee Season (Nov. 15 - March 31).
“Beyond the physical cleanup and recovery after a hurricane, communities like ours that rely heavily on tourism are also tasked with cleaning up perceptions left by nonstop media coverage of storm damage,” said Auvis Cole, Tourism Director of Discover Crystal River Florida. “To help our local tourism businesses get back to normal, we’ve put together a marketing campaign that will show visitors that local hotels, restaurants, tour guide companies, attractions, and more are, in fact, open for business and ready to welcome everyone back for a fabulous Florida vacation.”
The multi-faceted marketing campaign will include programmatic digital and social media advertising, aggressive public relations efforts including media visits and story pitching, and more than 2.5 million added value impressions from media partners such as Atlas Obscura, Nativo, and TripAdvisor. The campaign will feature current video footage from Crystal River, Homosassa, Inverness, and Floral City, including a focus on manatees and the crystal-clear springs, with specific calls for travelers to book a trip. The campaign will last four to six weeks and is expected to generate more than 6.4 million impressions.
According to Cole, with very few exceptions, visitor accommodations and offerings are back to normal and local businesses have resumed standard operations. With the support of the community, Citrus County is essentially fully operational and Discover Crystal River Florida is encouraging visitors to consider the area for their next eco-adventure or vacation.
Visitors who want to determine if a specific business has been impacted by the storm can visit DiscoverCrystalRiverFL.com/
Located about 75 minutes north of Tampa and 90 minutes west of Orlando, Crystal River is perfectly located on Florida’s Nature Coast, making it easy to access, yet pleasantly off the beaten path, and packs in value. For more information about the destination, visit DiscoverCrystalRiverFL.com or call the Tourist Information Center at 352-794-5506.
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About Crystal River Florida
Renowned as the Manatee Capital of the World, Crystal River, Florida, is one of North America’s premier destinations for swimming with manatees. On a guided eco tour, you can enjoy an up-close encounter with these gentle giants. The city’s certified local guides ensure that this beloved, threatened species is treated with the utmost respect, using responsible passive observation techniques approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Located on Central Florida’s Gulf Coast, Crystal River and the surrounding cities of Old Homosassa, Inverness and Floral City are an authentic showcase of outdoor adventure and scenic beauty. Within tens of thousands of acres of protected state parks, forests and wildlife refuges, visitors can explore miles of bicycling, walking, birding, horseback riding and hiking trails to unlock a wild and wonderful world of natural, recreational and archaeological treasures. Pristine swimmable springs and a shimmering network of rivers, lakes, marshlands and mangroves make Crystal River perfect for kayaking, paddle boarding, canoeing, boating, fishing, scalloping and floating. Feeding the fun is a creative collection of restaurants, pubs, bistros and bars serving up freshly caught seafood and other seasonal favorites all year long. Begin your adventure at DiscoverCrystalRiverFL.com or call (800) 587-6667.