March Numbers
March bed tax collections increased 3.67% to $5,342,359. This is the first year in tourist tax collections history when two reporting periods have topped $5 million. Average daily rate rose 8.5% to $156.68 and hotel occupancy was 85.1%.

Sherman's Travel Ranks Fort Lauderdale No. 2 Most Underrated City
GFL is proud to be ranked as the second most underrated U.S. city by Sherman's Travel, the luxury travel planning website. "Today's Fort Lauderdale is all about upscale beach chic, as confirmed by the swanky new hotels - the St. Regis Resort and W Hotel among them - set to open in the next 12 months. Combined with a surprisingly sophisticated arts and museum scene, an extensive yachting and golfing network, and one of America's top gay and lesbian scenes, Fort Lauderdale's status as Florida's fashionable destination du jour is long overdue."

Sunny.org Wins Best Hospitality Website
The South Florida Interactive Marketing Association (SFIMA) presented the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau website, www.sunny.org, with a 2007 SoFIE Award for best hospitality website at the South Florida Interactive Excellence Awards Gala, held at the Diplomat Country Club. The SoFIE Awards recognize the finest, cutting-edge interactive marketing campaigns in South Florida.

Kids Blog Debuts on Sunny.org
The GFLCVB launched an innovative blog for young readers in April. Called LauderKids, this fictional story offers ongoing adventures of three characters: Juliette, Isabella and Spencer. The tale begins with their first-ever outing to the Everglades, where airboats and alligators seem like strange, dangerous things. The young visitors will learn real facts about the Everglades as they tour the area, but also encounter exciting creatures and interesting people along the way. The new blog, written by accomplished children's book author Robert Spencer Knotts, will take readers from the ages 7 to14-years-old, to real South Florida places they can visit. But with an adventurous twist that will make the fun weekly series something they look forward to reading each Friday. The diary-style travel blog, located at www.sunny.org/lauderkids, will feature children's experiences and allow them to share insider tips and secrets about where to go. The site will make children aware of the range of family friendly activities, including airboat tours through the exotic Everglades, dazzling nature attractions such as Butterfly World and snorkeling amidst a three-tiered coral reef.

Fort Lauderdale Leads the Polls as Top Gay Destination
The readers of PlanetOut have voted Fort Lauderdale as the 2007 top U.S. gay destination, beating out NYC, San Francisco and LA. The Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival arrives at the Sunrise Gateway Cinemas in fabulous Fort Lauderdale, April 27-May 6. The GFLCVB will participate in the IGLTA Convention in Montreal, May 17-21. A Celebration of Friends, a charitable social club, meets June 21-24 at the Sheraton Yankee Trader.

Be part of the Summer of Discovery program
To help generate bookings for the value season, we are working with Travelocity on the Summer of Discovery campaign. If you have not already joined up with Travelocity and are interested, contact Stephanie Sherwood, the market manager. Stephanie can be reached at 407-241-1162 or Stephanie.Sherwood@travelocity.com. If you are already a Travelocity partner, contact Stephanie to see how you can boost your property with special summer packages. The Summer of Discovery includes two-for-one offers at 30 attractions (scuba, golf, spa, nature, arts and entertainment). This year, we added a strong retail message for hotel bookings June 1 through September 30. If a customer books online at sunny.org/summer at partner hotels and uses a special promo code, they save $75 on their booking (if more than $300). This dollar amount will be covered by the CVB. Check out www.sunny.org/summer for details on the great values. We hope that you will work with Travelocity to help increase your bookings.

Upcoming Media Visits
The pr department welcoming Country Living at The Atlantic, BBC-TV Newsround at Wannado City, and participation in the Spicy Side of Florida media reception in NYC with Chef Dean Max of 3030 Ocean at the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort. Last week, Jessica Taylor attended the Pow Wow media marketplace in Anaheim. Coming in May: UK media fam and Frommers Guide, followed by four fams in June.

May Convention Sales Update
Groups meeting in May generate more than $93 million to Broward County. Sample groups include:
May 2-11: Assn for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
May 5-9: IT Channel Vision 2007
May 10-13: Fast Enterprises Software Meeting 2007
May 13-18: Governor's Hurricane Conference
May 17-25: American Society of Consultant Pharmacists
May 21-27: Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America

Sport Lauderdale
Greater Fort Lauderdale welcomes the following sports groups in May:
May 9-13: USA Diving Grand Prix
May 12-19: John I Smith Bowling Invitational
May 13-19: National Masters Basketball Championships
May 18-20: Regional Archery Qualifier
May 18-20: Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships
May 18-24: USTA National Men/Women Clay Court Championships
May 25-27: Senior Regional Swimming/Diving Championships
May 25-27: AAU District Basketball Championships

Sports Hospitality Update Meeting
The GFLCVB sports development team invites you to a sports update on Tuesday, May 15, at 3:30pm at the International Swimming Hall of Fame Auditorium. You'll hear from local and regional sports event planners, who will share their upcoming schedules and events and ways for the Broward hospitality industry to participate. Contact Saskia Fisher for details: 954-767-2455, sfisher@broward.org

Multiculturally Speaking
Albert Tucker and the CVB team welcomed Travel Professionals of Color to the Renaissance Plantation, April 19-22. On May 26-30, the International Gospel Industry Retreat, led by Dr. Bobby Jones, returns to the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa. The State of Florida has contributed $900,000 to the Gospel Education Complex, set to break ground in Lauderhill this fall.

Tourism Sales Update
Domestic: Hospitality industry partners are encouraged to join us as GFL visits Florida AAA offices May 8-11. Contact Josh Winston, jwinston@broward.org, for details. Southwest Click n Save highlights Greater Fort Lauderdale as Featured Destination on May 29, followed by a CVB email blast to all consumers.
International: Alfredo Gonzalez and Fernando Harb attended a very successful PowWow in Anaheim, meeting with tour operators and wholesalers to increase GFL's presence in their holiday packages. In celebration of AeroMexico's new daily service to FLL from Mexico City, the GFLCVB heads to Mexico for Florida Select and sales mission, May 15-22, as well as Guadalajara for ARLAG. Plans are underway for a UK sales mission, Bahamas sales mission and LaCumbre in at the Westin Diplomat. Stay tuned for details.

Hotel News
St. Regis Resort Fort Lauderdale, the first in Florida, opened on Fort Lauderdale beach with a gala ribbon cutting on May 1. Il Lugano by Homewood Suites-Hilton is scheduled to open in Fort Lauderdale along the Intracoastal at Oakland in June, with 105 studios and suites featuring private balconies, in-room washer/dryer, flat panel tvs, fully-equipped kitchens, granite countertops and marble floors. Las Palmas Hotel & Suites, formerly the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Sunrise, operated by Integral Hospitality Solutions, is undergoing a $20 million renovation to be completed by June 2007. The hotel will convert to Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites on June 15.

Seminole Tribe Attractions Honor Tourism
In honor of National Tourism Appreciation Week, May 12-20, the Seminole Tribe is offering special two-for-one admission the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, and to the Swamp Critter Show at Billie Swamp Safari.

Good Eats
Gold Pin Award: We are happy to announce the launch of the first exclusive recognition program created by American Express for the Greater Fort Lauderdale restaurant industry. In partnership with the GFLCVB and TravelHost, American Express will recognize one restaurant per month for the value and quality of food and overall experience, outstanding customer service and their tenure, growth and commitment. Congratulations to Mai Kai on receiving the first Gold Pin recognition.

New Restaurant Venue: Tatiana Restaurant, Nightclub and Cabaret is now open in Hallandale Beach, with high-end dining, dancing, lounge and Las Vegas/Moulin Rouge style shows, Friday-Sunday, plus live music seven days a week. 10,500 square feet of venue space, available for corporate parties and weddings. Daily lunch and dinner menu features Russian and Eastern European cuisine.
Going Green: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Green Market is open 8am-1pm Saturday, May 5, May 19, June 2, June 16 and June 30 on Commercial Blvd. between Interior Digs and Concord Realty. Josh's Organic Garden Green Market is open every Sunday from 9am-5:30pm at Harrison Street and the Broadwalk in Hollywood.
Dave & Buster's Summer Promotion: From May 7-July 31, Dave & Buster's in Hollywood offers an All Day Meeting Package and All Inclusive Evening Event at special rates. Call 954-923-5505 for details.

BankAtlantic Center named one of world's top 20 venues
Trade publication PollStar announced the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise ranked No. 11 in the U.S., and No. 19 worldwide in the publication's first-quarter building rankings. The BAC ranked ahead of renowned venues such as the Staples Center in LA, Continental Airlines Arena in NJ and the United Center in Chicago.

Sail Away with the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society
The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society invites the hospitality industry on a fundraising cruise aboard Carnival Cruise Lines' Fascination, October 26-29 to benefit the Historical Society. Special guest Noel Barrett (Antiques Roadshow toy expert) will host a private cocktail party and appraisal session. Prices start at $199 per person. Please contact Kendale Lakes Travel, 305-385-3191 for details.

Happenings Around Town
Florida Marlins, Dolphin Stadium: May 4-10, 22-27
Through June 3: The Lion King, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
May 4-6: Fort Lauderdale Super Boat Grand Prix, Fort Lauderdale beach
May 4-6, 12-14: Tybee 500 Catamaran Race, Hollywood Beach
May 5: Christina Aguilera, BankAtlantic Center
May 5: Wayne Brady, Hard Rock Live
May 5-6: McDonald's Air & Sea Show, Fort Lauderdale beach
May 8: Steely Dan, Hard Rock Live
May 10: Las Olas Food & Wine Festival
May 12: Big Toy and Truck Extravaganza, Holiday Park, Fort Lauderdale
May 16-19: Pompano Beach Fishing Rodeo
May 17: HSMAI dinner at Madame's Cabaret, Sunny Isles, "Why Sales and Marketing is Just Like Dating and Relationships"
May 18-19: Hospice Regatta 2007 and Island Festival, Fort Lauderdale beach
May 18-20: Beach Blowout Firefighters Challenge, Deerfield Beach
May 19-20: Red, White & Bluegrass Festival, Hollywood Broadwalk
May 25-28: Fort Lauderdale Home Design & Remodeling Show, Broward Convention Center
May 25-Sept 28: Unbroken Ties, Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale
May 26-27: Florida Beach Volleyball Tournament, Hollywood Beach
May 27: Bloc Party, Pompano Beach Amphitheater
May 30: Nelly Furtado, Hard Rock Live

SEEKING VENDORS for the 5th Annual Bank of America Fiesta Puerto Rico, Saturday, June 30 at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts.

With all best wishes,

Nicki E. Grossman
President