Game Nation, an experiential video game theme park and resort, has chosen Florida as the location for its proposed park, based on the results of votes cast by the company’s fans on Facebook.

Game Nation

“We’re creating Game Nation for our fans and want to listen to their voices whenever possible,” said Daniel T. Ruke, founder and creator of Game Nation, in a statement. ”The vote for a location was the perfect opportunity to let our fans be heard. After all, this is their park.”

In the Facebook poll, Florida got 79 votes, with Georgia a distant second with 16 votes and Louisiana in third place with two votes.

It’s early days yet for Game Nation, and the park and resort are far from reality. But if it does pan out as planned, it will mean an investment of millions of dollars for Florida as the park is built—not to mention hundreds of new jobs and a boost to the local economy, all because 79 people voted for the state on Facebook.

Game Nation will combine video game mechanics with physical themed attractions. Visitors entering the park become players and are guided to the armory to select a weapon. The choices include machine guns, ninja swords and double-fisted handguns.

The role-playing game is a war zone set in the “Alternet” where players can choose to become a spy, modern warrior or one’s favorite superstar.

“The Alternet will allow you to live your ultimate cyber punk fantasy,” said Ruke. “Game Nation is fueled by the passion of gamers to create a totally immersive experience, that seamlessly blends both digital and real worlds.”

Game Nation also recently announced that video-game company Atari is interested in having some of its classic games, like Centipede and Asteroids, made into fully interactive rides and attractions at the Game Nation park.

Naturally, Game Nation ran a Facebook poll asking fans what Atari games they wanted to see in the park. Space Invaders topped the responses with 22 votes, followed by Gauntlet and Centipede. If you happen to visit the Game Nation park in Florida a couple of years down the line and see a giant Centipede game, it’ll could be because 10 people voted for it on Facebook.

Photo – Game Nation

More info: http://www.demandgamenation.com/; Facebook

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Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Florida

On May 27, 2011, Siesta Beach was declared America’s best beach by Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, better known as Dr. Beach. Siesta Key had suddenly laid a golden egg for the tourism industry in Sarasota, Florida, that could be valued as high as $446 million.

That’s because the 2011 list was Dr. Beach’s 21st annual list of the top 10 beaches in America and is now a tradition eagerly awaited by television, print and online media.

The day the list gets released just before Memorial Day is pure bedlam, with a flood of news mentions and blog posts, not to mention a viral wave on social media.

Dr. Beach stood on the white sands of Siesta Beach and gave interviews to “Good Morning America” and “The Today Show,” and the story also earned Siesta Key a home page listing on MSN.

The end result of all the free publicity and media profiles of the beach is a 15 to 20 percent increase in annual visitation numbers.

Last year, after Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York, topped the list (Siesta Beach was No. 2 on the 2010 list), it got a 15 percent bump in traffic and a $774,000 beach-access pass revenue increase.

Sarasota CVB making use of Dr Beach listing

Based on the 2.2 million visitors who came to Siesta Beach in 2010, that would mean another 330,000 to 440,000 visitors in 2011.

Sarasota County visitors who book a stay here spend an average of $124 per day and $1,013 overall. So Sarasota is looking at between $334.3 million to $446 million in potential increased tourism revenue.

Also, it makes for some great promotional material for the destination’s tourism marketing bureau.

The Sarasota CVB not only put out a press release touting the recognition, but also is using it on the bureau’s websites home page to entice visitors to “Experience the Best Beach in the USA.”

The CVB also has been quick to take advantage of the rise in search queries for Siesta Beach with Google ads titled “Siesta Beach #1,” which ask visitors to “see why Siesta Beach was ranked as #1 beach in the US by Dr. Beach!”

Siesta Beach Google ad

Siesta Beach has enjoyed the Dr. Beach bump for two years running now, in second and first place. But it’ll never get it again, because once a beach is listed as the best beach in America, it gets taken out of contention in subsequent years. But right now, Siesta Beach is getting ready with beach pails and shovels to collect the tourist dollars.

Beach photo – Clexow; Snapshots - Sarasota CVB website & UpTake Siesta Key page

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With a record 51.455 million visitors in 2010, Orlando, Florida, beat New York City fair and square in the race to become the first U.S. destination to breach the 50 million visitor barrier. Orlando’s 2010 tally was a huge 10.5 percent improvement over its 2009 total of 46.6 million visitors.

Visit Orlando - 50 million visitors

The announcement was made simultaneously at separate events by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer in Orlando and Visit Orlando President and CEO Gary Sain in San Francisco. Sain credits Visit Orlando’s marketing campaigns for the huge bounce.

“Visit Orlando launched aggressive global marketing campaigns showcasing that Orlando offers visitors something they can’t get anywhere else—world famous attractions, value for their money and an experience they will never forget,” said Gary Sain, speaking at the International Pow Wow conference in San Francisco. “The fact that Orlando bounced back in 2010 with the most visitation in not only Orlando’s history, but the most of any U.S. destination, shows our aggressive leisure and meetings strategies worked, and our message resonated with travelers.”

George Fertitta, chief executive of NYC & Company, the official marketing organization for New York, was also at Pow Wow, for the launch of “Get More NYC: Lower Manhattan”—a global campaign to promote Lower Manhattan to visitors and travel media.

This campaign is a prelude to the Sept. 12, 2011 opening of the 9/11 Memorial, which is expected to provide a huge boost to New York tourism as millions of people visit Ground Zero.

Fertitta pointed out that Orlando includes outlying counties in its total and that New York’s international base is much bigger than what Orlando has. Orlando is indeed relatively more dependent on domestic visitors as compared to destinations like New York.

Orlando visitation chart; Source: D.K. Shifflet

Of the 51.455 million visitors who came to Orlando last year, domestic visitors accounted for 47.8 million, or 93 percent of the total. In comparison, New York City welcomed 48.7 visitors in 2010, with 9.7 million, or  20 percent, coming from foreign countries. New York is on track to breach the 50 million barrier in 2012.

Be that as it may, the fact remains that Orlando is officially the first U.S. destination to reach 50 million visitors. That’s a big deal and cause enough for Orlando’s travel industry to enjoy its own marketing campaign tagline: “Orlando Makes Me Smile.”

Photo credit: DavidAllenStudio.com (courtesy Visit Orlando)

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Mother’s Day is just a week away, so there’s been a recent surge of hotel deals hitting the market for the big weekend. The common denominator of 2011 Mother’s Day packages seems to be one three-letter word: spa. Day spas and destination hotels will feature discounts on spa packages, as well as treatments designed specifically for the holiday.

Boca Raton, Florida: Boca Raton Resort & Club is giving moms a 25 percent discount on all spa services at Spa Palazzo, as well as 25 percent off golf greens fees and tennis fees. Room packages start at $219 per night at the resort, $249 at the club.

New York City: The Affinia Dumont, a “wellness-themed” hotel in Midtown, will offer a $250 nightly rate over Mother’s Day weekend in a package that includes a 30-minute express service from Oasis Day Spa, an eco-friendly reusable water bottle and a room customized to guest preferences. (Upgrades for longer spa treatments are available.)

Horseshoe Bay, Texas: The Horseshoe Bay Resort in Texas Hill Country has a special package for mothers-to-be that includes 20 percent off all spa services. It also focuses on mother/daughter activities over the holiday weekend, including a golf clinic, bingo and a ping-pong tournament.

Marco Island, Florida: Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort will feature a “Spa Ritual” package designed for moms at its Balinese-style spa. The deal, starting at $519, includes two nights lodging, breakfast each day in Tropiks restaurant, daily spa membership and choice of one spa treatment per guest. This package is available through September 30, 2011.

Maui, Hawaii: The Grand Wailea Resort on Maui’s south coast will offer a Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch on Sunday, May 8, along with numerous “Mom & Me” activities, such as lei-making demonstrations, beach yoga, a botanical tour and hula lessons. Spa Grande has a special Ohe Bamboo Massage in honor of the day.

Whistler, British Columbia, Canada: Scandinave Spa Whistler, best known for its outdoor eucalyptus steam baths, is offering Mother’s Days deals starting at $169, which includes an hour-long massage, access to the baths and a snack from the “health bistro.”

Photo: Courtesy of Boca Raton Resort & Club

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