Sebring International Raceway Events

The Highlands County Tourist Development Council (TDC) is a volunteer advisory board appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. The TDC oversees strategy, funding allocation, budgets, and marketing direction for tourism within Highlands County.

All TDC efforts and the Visit Sebring tourism office are funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax (bed tax) — not by general revenue or taxes paid by residents. This means tourism is self-sustaining: visitors fund the work that brings in more visitors, strengthening the economy without increasing financial burden on locals.

Tourism brings new spending into our community — in hotels, restaurants, shops, parks, attractions, gas stations, and local businesses. This generates tax revenue that helps offset costs for residents and supports economic growth without additional burden on locals. That spending directly supports local businesses, jobs, public spaces, events, restaurants, attractions, outfitters, retail, arts, and culture.

For a rural community, tourism is not just beneficial — it’s essential. It strengthens economic resilience, works to keep businesses open even in slower seasons, and helps magnify the natural environment and small-town character that make Highlands County special. Tourism helps ensure our community thrives, not just sustains.

When someone is scrolling travel inspiration or searching destinations, we have a very short window — often only seconds — to get their attention. Years of market research consistently tells us that thanks to the international brand of the Sebring International Raceway, Sebring is the name most commonly recognized among our set of communities. Because of that familiarity, it performs strongest in search, digital ads, social content, and traveler recall — and equally important with destination marketing, it helps visitors quickly geographically orient themselves with our region.

Most travelers don’t plan vacations by county name — and often, they don’t even know which county they’re in while visiting a destination. Likewise, visitors do not experience a place through municipal boundary lines. They may drive, dine, explore, and shop across several communities in a single trip without realizing where one city ends and another begins. To the traveler, the destination is typically understood as a region with one recognizable name, rather than a collection of separate towns with formal borders. We understand

We use the name people recognize to open the door — then we invite visitors to discover all of Highlands County. As they follow our content, research, and plan their trip, we introduce them to everything that makes our destination rich and varied: Avon Park, Lake Placid, Lorida, Venus, Sebring, and everywhere in between and beyond. We know that each community contributes to what makes Highlands County so special, and we don’t want visitors to miss any piece of it.

The name Sebring often creates initial recognition, but the full Highlands County experience YOU help provide is what brings visitors back again and again.

Brand consistency is key to successful destination marketing. Every time someone sees Visit Sebring – during their online research, while planning their trip, or once they’ve arrived – it reinforces recognition, builds trust, and helps guide them through the destination. And while “Sebring” is the name they recognize, our job is to lead them deeper into the region – to Avon Park, Lake Placid, Lorida, Venus, and beyond. By maintaining a consistent brand presence, we keep travelers engaged with our content and resources, allowing us to introduce them to experiences across all of Highlands County.

A single, unified brand also ensures efficiency and clarity. It eliminates the confusion that can come from rotating or competing names, protects the awareness we’ve already built, and maximizes the impact of every marketing investment – from SEO and digital campaigns to print materials and signage. Keeping the Visit Sebring identity strong allows us to build destination equity over time and supports long-term visibility for Highlands County as a whole.

We know that every community contributes something unique to Highlands County’s visitor experience – and we want travelers to discover all of it. While the brand name is Visit Sebring, our marketing strategy is intentionally built to distribute visibility across the entire region. We feature businesses, attractions, events, outdoor spaces, restaurants, and stories from Avon Park, Lake Placid, Lorida, Venus, and Sebring throughout our campaigns.

Our website, travel guide, social media, digital passes, itineraries, press trips, and advertising placements all showcase regional offerings, not just one location. In fact, once a visitor enters our marketing ecosystem, they are repeatedly introduced to experiences in every community – helping spread tourism spend across the county, not concentrating it.

By opening the door with a recognizable brand, we’re able to shine a light on the full destination behind it – ensuring the economic impact of tourism reaches as many local businesses and communities as possible.

Visitors often decide where to stay, eat, shop, and explore based on the interactions they have with front-line staff and local businesses. And a memorable experience goes beyond the product – it’s how welcome a visitor feels.

Businesses can help our visitors have the best experience in Highlands County by:
• Keeping listings, hours, and contact details up-to-date & ensuring Google/website hours match reality (a common traveler frustration!)
• Training staff to answer basic visitor questions or offer local tips — and if they don’t know, directing guests to our website or kiosks is still great service
• Offering friendly service and going the extra step when possible — small “above & beyond” moments often become the highlight of a trip
• Encouraging guests to explore nearby communities and experiences, giving them more to enjoy and more reasons to return

A little hospitality goes a long way – even the smallest gestures can turn a visit to Highlands County into a story they share and a memory that brings them back.

Not at all. It’s simply the name of the destination brand. Behind the scenes, our role is to promote all of Highlands County Sebring, Avon Park, and Lake Placid alike—to bring visitors (and economic impact) to the entire area. While the name is “Visit Sebring,” our work spans the entire county. Visitors don’t stop at city limits, and neither do we.

PLACEHOLDER

PLACEHOLDER