4 January 2017, London – Following a competitive pitch process, Discover The Palm Beaches has appointed leading travel and tourism consultancy Hills Balfour to manage its trade relations, consumer marketing and public relations strategy for the United Kingdom (U.K.).

Florida's Discover The Palm Beaches, formerly known as the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau, is the official tourism marketing corporation that promotes the collection of 39 cities and towns and 15 tourism districts that is commonly referred to as “The Palm Beaches.” The destination spans more than 2,200 square miles and 47 miles of pristine beaches from Boca Raton to Jupiter and Tequesta.

Tourism is among Palm Beach County's major industries, generating $4.55 billion in direct visitor spending and supporting more than 60,000 jobs in 2015. Once recognised as a tropical escape for elite travellers in the late 1800s, America's First Resort Destination® is making its resurgence as The Best Way to Experience Florida®, welcoming a record-breaking 6.9 million people in 2015. More than 17,000 hotel rooms, ranging from luxury historic resorts to quaint boutique inns, are available in The Palm Beaches. The destination features more than 100 family-friendly attractions, world-class luxury and antique shopping experiences, 125 miles of peaceful waterways for on- or in-the-water activities, more than 150 artificial reefs that line the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf Stream current, 160 golf courses, award-winning restaurants, and a thriving entertainment scene boasting more than 200 art and culture organisations.

Hills Balfour has been brought on board to re-develop Discover The Palm Beaches' U.K. outbound tourism strategy, in order to increase awareness amongst the U.K.'s leading traveller demographics. The London-based firm will be responsible for promoting The Palm Beaches as a desirable destination for the U.K. traveller by highlighting its unique product offering and wide appeal, and Hills Balfour's proactive public relations, creative marketing campaigns and interactive trade incentives will aim to boost visitor numbers overall.

Jonathan Sloan, Managing Director of Hills Balfour said, “The Palm Beaches offers an exceptional range of activities, experiences and entertainment, coupled with stunning scenery, appealing climate and a welcoming culture. With our depth of U.S. experience and knowledge, we look forward to positioning The Palm Beach's tourism identity and establishing a strong brand proposition so that the destination is firmly on the UK traveller's radar.”

Discover The Palm Beaches believes that this is the next logical step in growing the destination's presence in this key International market. Visitation from the U.K. last year totalled 39,500 and as of Q3's report, released in September 2016, was recorded to be 28,800. Visitation from the U.K. ranks as the second-largest International market, after Canada for the destination. VISIT FLORIDA reports the same findings for the state as a whole, with visitation at almost 1.7 million.

Discover The Palm Beaches' President and CEO, Jorge Pesquera stated: “The U.K. has traditionally been a key market for us and we're enthusiastic to welcome this new partnership with the seasoned team at Hills Balfour, who brings tremendous experience in the travel industry on a global scale based on their work with other successful destination marketing organizations such as Greater Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas and Dubai. Growing this market in collaboration with Visit Florida and Brand USA and investing wisely toward its development has been a major goal for our team and we couldn't be happier.”

The U.K.'s Public Relations activity will be handled by Public Relations Senior Account Manager, Louise Russell-Pavier and the account's Sales and Marketing activity will be led by Sales and Marketing Account Director, Rosina Williams and Sales and Marketing Account Manager, Sola Thomson. Hills Balfour will work in collaboration with Discover The Palm Beaches' Senior Vice President of Marketing and Leisure Sales Rich Basen, Director of International Leisure Sales Rodrigo Trujillo, Director of Public Relations and Communications Ashley Svarney and newly-appointed Manager of International Public Relations and Communications Veronica Arrieta. The contract is effective 1st January 2017.

For more information on Discover The Palm Beaches visit www.ThePalmBeaches.com and connect on social media using @PalmBeachesFL or #ThePalmBeaches.

For more information please contact:

Louise Russell-Pavier, PR Senior Account Manager

Tel: 44 (0)207 593 1789

Email: louiser@hillsbalfour.com

Sola Thomson, Sales & Marketing Account Manager

Tel: 44 (0)207 593 1781

Email: solat@hillsbalfour.com