Why So Many Europeans Opt For Follow Up Visits To Florida

There aren’t many British families under a certain age who haven’t already enjoyed at least one holiday in Florida. Today’s love affair between Brits and the Sunshine State originally started off when Walt Disney decided to build a new Disney World entertainment complex on over 40 square miles of orange groves outside Orlando in the centre of the state. The park’s 1971 opening brought Disney’s unique offering coupled with reliably benign weather much nearer to Europeans who had previously only gone in small numbers to the California complex.

Fortunately for Disney and its prospective customers across the Atlantic, the opening coincided with a boom in cheap charter flights and packaged holidays provided by companies such as Virgin and Thompson. The relentless growth in visitors to Florida from the UK and other European countries has since been fuelled by the expansion of the Disney complex and the creation of several other major attractions in the area.

British and other European vacationers in Florida invariably go for “ Fly-Drive “ holidays spending a few days in the Orlando area before driving off to explore other destinations such as Busch Gardens, the Everglades and Cape Kennedy. However, it’s not long before first time visitors start to realise that Florida is bigger than many countries in Europe and that it is impossible to cover everything in the space of a week or two.

This is why a very large number return to enjoy a more leisurely stay in the State having already “ done “ the busy Orlando scene. Most tend to go for the relatively sheltered Gulf of Mexico coastline which boasts a long chain of attractive destinations stretching from Clearwater in the North to the Keys in the far South. While the majority head for the obvious big name resorts, an enquiring minority will seek out closely guarded secrets like Anna Maria Island.

Anna Maria Island is on Florida’s southern coast, just south of Tampa Bay. It is known for world class beaches, welcoming people and a laid-back lifestyle. It has 3 main towns including, The City of Anna Maria, which is located in the north of the island and is a friendly residential community. The largest city is Holmes Beach and is located in the centre; it is the commercial centre of the island and has three miles of gorgeous white, sandy beaches. Lastly, Bradenton Beach boasts, gorgeous coastline, calm docks and stretches to the southern tip of the island.

By: Brendan Wilde

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www.annamaria.com/">Anna Maria Island Florida provides so much for the whole family, and is the perfect place for a relaxed getaway by the beach.