The cat’s out of the bag. Central Florida is a tourism destination like no other, thanks to historic sites like Bok Tower Gardens and newer local gems like Bonnet Springs Park. The area thrives on the dollars that tourism brings — in fact, it’s one of Polk County’s top three industries.
You can help Visit Central Florida (VCF) attract visitors by joining the CATS program. CATS stands for Certified Ambassadors of Tourism and Sports, and all it takes to become one is completing an online course.
It’s perfect for those who work in the hospitality industry, but the free program is open to anyone passionate about local tourism — so I decided to join it for myself.
Learn about local history and current hotspots, like Legoland, which sits on the site of Florida’s first theme park, Cypress Gardens.
Photo by @bumpgalletta
The course includes light reading about sites to know in each city, and you may want to take notes, because there are a few pop quizzes about what you’ve read. The whole process took me less than an hour, and I learned these five fun facts:
- Last year, Polk County welcomed 5.5 million visitors who generated more than $2 billion.
- Part of that is generated by the 5% Tourism Development Tax, which visitors pay on short-term accommodations.
- There’s plenty for locals to explore at VCF’s Welcome Center in Davenport, including the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation Hall of Fame Museum.
- Fort Meade is Polk’s oldest city, founded 36 years before Lakeland.
- Westgate River Ranch near Lake Wales is the largest dude ranch east of the Mississippi River.
When the coursework’s away, the CATS will play. Ambassadors get perks like attraction tours and exclusive newsletters, and you can always refer back to the info you learned to help answer guest questions.
To join VCF’s program, just make an account and learn at your own pace.
