Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Visit Florida Keys and Key West president and CEO Kara Franker sits down with Afar editorial director Billie Cohen to talk about leading a record-breaking destination on a fragile string of islands—and why "better tourism" matters more than "more tourism." Kara joined Visit Florida Keys in 2024 after leading Visit Estes Park in Colorado, and she came in at a pivotal moment. Key West International Airport saw more arrivals in 2025 than ever before, and 2026 is tracking strong. But the Keys are 120 miles of islands with one road in and one road out, a reef that protects them from hurricanes, and a deeply local culture that doesn't always love being shared. Kara's challenge: how to keep welcoming the world without loving the place to death. In this conversation, Kara and Billie discuss How Kara rebuilt her team from 12 staff to 30 in under two years, and why she recruited from outside the tourism industry The shift from "spray and play" broadcast marketing to messaging that asks visitors to respect the reef, the key deer, and the locals A new artificial reef being built so divers can practice before they touch the real thing—and how visitor tax dollars are funding it Why the Keys are physically finite, what that means for residents trying to reach the grocery store on Memorial Day weekend, and the air taxi idea Kara has her eye on What the recent Monroe County decision to stop using tourism tax dollars to fund LGBTQ events means for Pride in 2027—and why the community is already rallying The "Come as You Are" tagline, the Conch Republic's rebellious spirit, and what it means to become a "freshwater conch" Plus: stone crab vs. key lime pie, the only place in the world with crocodiles and alligators in the same place, and a pitch for adding lionfish to the menu. Resources – Visit Florida Keys website – John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park – Fantasy Fest – Afar guide to the Florida Keys and Key West Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar 00:01:30 Rebuilding the Team From Scratch 00:04:00 Better Tourism, Not More 00:06:30 Investing in the Community 00:11:00 Come as You Are 00:12:00 Pride, Politics, and the Path Forward 00:17:30 The Joy of the Keys 00:20:00 Becoming a Freshwater Conch Stay Connected Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week. Follow @AfarMedia on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠ for behind-the-scenes IPW content. ⁠Sign up⁠ for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor. Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights. Explore our other podcasts, ⁠Travel Tales⁠ and ⁠Unpacked⁠. This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email ⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Live From IPW: Visit Florida Keys' Kara Franker on Balancing Record Numbers and Real Limits

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Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Visit Florida Keys and Key West president and CEO Kara Franker sits down with Afar editorial director Billie Cohen to talk about leading a record-breaking destination on a fragile string of islands—and why "better tourism" matters more than "more tourism."  Kara joined Visit Florida Keys in 2024 after leading Visit Estes Park in Colorado, and she came in at a pivotal moment. Key West International Airport saw more arrivals in 2025 than ever before, and 2026 is tracking strong. But the Keys are 120 miles of islands with one road in and one road out, a reef that protects them from hurricanes, and a deeply local culture that doesn't always love being shared. Kara's challenge: how to keep welcoming the world without loving the place to death.  In this conversation, Kara and Billie discuss     How Kara rebuilt her team from 12 staff to 30 in under two years, and why she recruited from outside the tourism industry    The shift from "spray and play" broadcast marketing to messaging that asks visitors to respect the reef, the key deer, and the locals    A new artificial reef being built so divers can practice before they touch the real thing—and how visitor tax dollars are funding it    Why the Keys are physically finite, what that means for residents trying to reach the grocery store on Memorial Day weekend, and the air taxi idea Kara has her eye on    What the recent Monroe County decision to stop using tourism tax dollars to fund LGBTQ events means for Pride in 2027—and why the community is already rallying    The "Come as You Are" tagline, the Conch Republic's rebellious spirit, and what it means to become a "freshwater conch"    Plus: stone crab vs. key lime pie, the only place in the world with crocodiles and alligators in the same place, and a pitch for adding lionfish to the menu.   Resources  – Visit Florida Keys website  – John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park  – Fantasy Fest  – Afar guide to the Florida Keys and Key West    Chapters  00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar  00:01:30 Rebuilding the Team From Scratch  00:04:00 Better Tourism, Not More  00:06:30 Investing in the Community  00:11:00 Come as You Are  00:12:00 Pride, Politics, and the Path Forward  00:17:30 The Joy of the Keys  00:20:00 Becoming a Freshwater Conch    Stay Connected     Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all our IPW 2026 episodes this week.    Follow @AfarMedia on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠ for behind-the-scenes IPW content.     ⁠Sign up⁠ for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.    Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.    Explore our other podcasts, ⁠Travel Tales⁠ and ⁠Unpacked⁠.   This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email ⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View From Afar is a podcast by the travel industry, for the travel industry. The travel industry is constantly evolving, and in our latest podcast, View From Afar, Afar editors talk with the changemakers—the CEOs, tourism experts, hoteliers, and more—who are making travel better for consumers, and the world.

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