VISIT FLORIDA DEBUTS "TRAVEL ON A TANKFUL"

Florida, USA: Summer 2003: Canadians wishing to save on gas but still enjoy all Florida has to offer can now get some fresh ideas from VISIT FLORIDA's new "Travel on a Tankful" itineraries.

"Travel on a Tankful" recently debuted on FLAUSA.com, the official travel planning site of VISIT FLORIDA, the tourism marketing corporation for the state.

"Travel on a Tankful'' is designed to help you discover some of Florida''s tourism treasures while rediscovering how great it is to spend time with your family - all within a tankful of gas," said Bud Nocera, VISIT FLORIDA's Acting President/CEO.

"Travel on a Tankful" features some of the newest tours in VISIT FLORIDA's popular "Worth the Drive" series of self-directed driving tours. The itineraries showcase the depth and diversity of experiences The Sunshine State has to offer. The latest edition of the "Worth the Drive" guidebook, which incorporates a range of interests in 17 tours that meander through undiscovered Florida, debuted in January. In addition to new Theme and Road Tour itineraries, the booklet includes a new set of itineraries:

Multi-day City Tours that utilize a hub-and-spoke approach, designed to provide travellers with ideas for experiencing the history, nature, culture and fun of a particular city and its surrounding areas.

The seven major "hub" cities are Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, Tallahassee and Tampa. "Travel on a Tankful" breaks each "Worth the Drive" City Tour into several shorter day trip itineraries, with a number of additional cities serving as secondary "hubs." True to their namesake, each itinerary can be explored within one tank of gas.

For the first time in a generation, visitors to Florida are travelling to The Sunshine State by car more frequently than by air, making "Worth the Drive" more popular than ever. The idea to revamp some of the "Worth the Drive" tours into "Travel on a Tankful" itineraries was born as part of the contingency plan VISIT FLORIDA, developed to address potential changes in travel patterns due to the Middle East conflict.

"Travel on a Tankful" is designed not only to address travellers' concern about rising gas prices, but also to fulfill the interests of Florida residents and visitors who wish to take their vacations similar to how many did after 9/11, by auto and off-the-beaten-path, not to mention centered on visiting family and friends, all patterns that are expected to be repeated during the Middle East conflict.

"In times like these, the time we spend with our loved ones is more important than ever," said Nocera. ''Travel on a Tankful'' is full of ideas for families who want to take one or more getaways to discover our great state during their trip to Florida."

Browse VISIT FLORIDA's "Travel on a Tankful" itineraries at www.FLAUSA.com.