All aboard the Sunshine Line! Visit Florida transforms Toronto's TTC

Next station is...The Florida Keys?

Toronto commuters can expect a splash of sunshine on the subway this month as the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), in partnership with Visit Florida, transforms and rebrands nine stations along Line 1 Yonge-University into destinations from the Sunshine State.

The “Sunshine Line,” part of Visit Florida's Moments of Sunshine campaign, was designed to put Canadians into a Florida state of mind, especially as Canada’s January temperatures set in.  

“We love Canadians, we know Canadians love Florida, but we sometimes need to remind them that we’re the best warm weather destination for them to come to,” Meagan Dougherty, public relations director at Visit Florida told PAX yesterday (Jan. 15) at a media preview in the underground concourse of Toronto’s Union Station.

The subway take-over was conceived when Visit Florida realized that the TTC’s Line 1 was, more or less, shaped like the State of Florida.

Riders can start their journey in the Florida Panhandle in Pensacola (Yorkdale), make their way down the coast to St. Pete/Clearwater (Queen’s Park) and Fort Myers & Sanibel (St. Andrews), loop around The Florida Keys (Union), then upwards to Miami (Queen), Fort Lauderdale (Dundas), the Treasure Coast (College), up to the Space Coast (St Clair) and finish in Jacksonville (Finch).

Each station is decked with soaring imagery from each destination, complimented by digital billboards, hot fuchsia pink banners and interactive installations.

One subway train is even wrapped in Visit Florida’s signature hot pink and yellow colours entirely.  

“We want to transport people to the warmth and get them into that sunshine state of mind after a long day,” Dougherty told PAX.

At Union Station, where a  “complete domination activation” unfolded, brand ambassadors wearing hot pink shirts handed out Florida-inspired gifts to passing commuters.

Spotted in the shuffle was Jeanette Faria, an account manager for the Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, which is represented by VoX International, passing out shell necklaces.

“People are like, ‘Oh my god. That’s amazing! I wish I was in Florida right now!” Faria said, summing up her experience that morning. “People are definitely getting inspired.”

READ MORE: Visit Florida encourages travellers to 'Go Beyond' at annual Huddle

Florida’s record year

Last year Florida set a new record in tourism numbers, welcoming 95.8 million visitors from January to September, the largest numbers of visitors over a nine month period in all of Florida’s history, Staci Mellman, interim chief marketing officer at Visit Florida, told media at a post-preview luncheon at Toronto’s downtown Delta by Marriott Hotel.

Canada is Florida’s “number one source for international visitors,” Mellman said, noting that 3.4 million Canadians visited in 2017, an increase of 3 per cent over the previous year.

“We can’t take that success for granted, which is why we’re here to keep the momentum going,” Mellman said.

Showcasing Florida’s diversity

Yesterday’s media lunch gave guests an opportunity take pictures in a photo/boomerang booth with fun Florida-inspired props (such as pink flamingos) and “colour” on an interactive digital wall.

Guests also had a chance to mingle with representatives from a wide variety of Florida destinations, including Amelia Island, Daytona Beach, Greater Fort Lauderdale, Explore Ocala County, Pensacola, Punta Gorda Englewood Beach, Visit Sarasota, Seaworld Parks and Entertainment, Tampa Bay, the Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, the Florida Keys and Key West.

Promoting Florida’s diversity and, perhaps, lesser-known destinations was key to the campaign.  

“We know people are coming to Florida for the things they love. Our repeat travellers come back and do the same thing, in the same location, sometimes even at the same hotels,” Dougherty told PAX.  

Dougherty encourages Canadians to go beyond the beaten path and experience, for example, Florida’s 175 state parks, hot springs and wildlife excursions, such as the swimming with manatees experience in Crystal River.

“We’re asking people to get outside their comfort zone, outside of those gateway cities and see the more natural side of Florida,” she said. “They’re beautiful resources.”

Visit Florida’s Sunshine Station takeover runs throughout the month of January.

For more info, go to visitflorida.com.