A representative with Visit Florida, the state's tourist development agency, stopped in Marathon on Wednesday morning to pitch the latest ideas aimed at increasing tourism.

Beth Rice, a business development manager with Visit Florida, also met one-on-one with several local business leaders to go over the co-operative advertising and marketing packages that are currently being developed. After wrapping up in Marathon, Rice was expected to head down to Key West as well.

"With tourism being our number one industry, it is important we do as much as we can," said Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Daniel Samess.

About a dozen local businesses representatives turned out for the presentation and individual meetings.

Much like the local Monroe County Tourist Development Council, Visit Florida has streamlined a co-operative advertising program. Such a program allows local businesses to piggyback on the large-scale advertising efforts put forward by groups like the TDC and Visit Florida.

Rice said that one of the markets being targeted currently during an economic slump is in-state travelers.

"Seventeen million residents took in-state trips last year," Rice said. "We have been heavily promoting in-state getaways for the past two years."

She noted that many people feel they have the right to travel, and that even with a slumping economy, many can still take a cheaper in-state trip.

Rice also brought along another piece of good news; word that reports from the third financial quarter show that the overall tourism numbers in Florida only dropped by one percent.

A heavier focus is also being brought to the internet. Rice pitched partnerships between private business and Visit Florida that would allow for varying levels of involvement with the Visit Florida Web site.

"It is a small cost, but there is a larger [return on investment]," Samess said. "Sometimes you have to spend money to make money."

This is the second time this year the chamber has brought down business officials from Tallahassee to meet with the local community. Earlier this year a delegation from Enterprise Florida Inc. came down to speak about marketing local businesses internationally.

rbusweiler@keysnews.com