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Visit Florida said it is introducing a $200,000 marketing campaign focused on luring tourists from the U.K. The announcement comes on the fourth day of Gov. Charlie Crist's ongoing trade mission to Europe.

"The United Kingdom has a long history of being one of Florida's largest overseas tourism markets, and it is important that we continue to reach out to this important market invite," Crist said in a news release.

For the new marketing campaign, Visit Florida will insert six, four-page special sections in First News, a children's publication in the U.K. The information in the independent newspaper will focus on Florida's ecosystem and environment, science and space programs, animals and wildlife, entertainment, sports and history. Additionally, Visit Florida will sponsor two issues of First News for Teachers, showing teachers the educational values of the special sections and offering suggestions on how they can use the information in the classroom cash advance loans.

The U.K. is Florida's top overseas tourism market, with 1.34 million arrivals in 2006. On average, British travelers spend nearly two weeks and $3,196 in Florida, with 72.5 percent traveling to Orlando, 15.3 percent to Miami and 12.5 percent to Tampa Bay.

Visit Florida is the state's official tourism marketing corporation.

The chances of keeping Australia's inflation rate low over the medium term are good as the highest borrowing costs in 12 years cool the economy, Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens said.

“This outlook does involve a period of significantly slower growth in demand in Australia,'' Stevens said in a speech to economists in Sydney today. “But controlling inflation has always involved being prepared to slow'' the economy, he said.

The Australian dollar and bond yields fell as Stevens' comments reinforced speculation he won't raise interest rates again following four increases since last August that boosted the benchmark to 7.25 percent. The economy grew at the weakest pace in almost two years in the first quarter as consumers cut spending to pay higher mortgage, fuel and food costs.

“Stevens is growing more confident the central bank's done enough to slow the economy and damp inflation,'' said Peter Jolly, head of research of National Australia Bank Ltd. in Sydney. “The bank has finished its series of interest-rate increases and is on hold for the rest of this year.''

The Australian dollar traded at 97.96 U.S. cents at 1:34 p.m. in Sydney from 98.08 cents before the speech was released. The two-year government bond yield fell 3 basis points, or 0.03 percentage point, to 6.53 percent.

“I think our chances of keeping inflation low over the medium term are good,'' Stevens said.

Inflation Goal

Stevens said the central bank remains committed to its goal of keeping inflation between 2 percent to 3 percent on average, even if annual price gains remain above that threshold for “a pretty long period.''

“We are of course fully aware of the possibility that people may fear that this temporary period of high inflation could, in fact, turn out to be persistent,'' he said.

Australia's annual consumer price index “might rise further before it starts to come down'' after gasoline costs surged above what the bank forecast in May, the governor said.

Annual core inflation accelerated to 4.4 percent in the first quarter, the fastest pace in almost 17 years. The government is due to publish second-quarter figures on July 23.

“We still expect inflation to fall back to 3 percent by mid-2010, and to continue declining gradually thereafter,'' Stevens said payday loans.

There is “pretty clear evidence'' that rising gasoline prices and higher borrowing costs are forcing consumers and businesses to cut spending, the governor said, adding “the extent of that slowing, and its duration, are uncertain.''

Slowing Economy

Consumer confidence slumped to the lowest level in 16 years in July, businesses were the most pessimistic since 2001 in June and home-loan approvals fell by the most in eight years in May, reports last week showed.

“It looks more likely now than it did a couple of months ago that this more moderate track for demand will continue,'' Stevens said. That will “in due course begin to exert downward'' pressure on inflation, he said.

Stevens suggested that the bank is comfortable with its forecast, made in May, that inflation will remain above the ceiling of its target range until the middle of 2010.

“If the May 2008 forecasts turn out to be right, then the current episode would entail nine quarters with year-ended inflation above 3 percent,'' he said.

Such an outcome “would still be consistent in every essential respect with the experience under inflation targeting since it began 15 years or so ago.''

`Exerting Restraint'

Today's comments echo minutes of the bank's July 1 policy meeting, published yesterday, which said interest rates are “exerting the appropriate degree of restraint'' on the economy, which has been expanding for 17 years.

Stevens said inflation is unlikely to be driven higher by wage growth, which has “to date been pretty well controlled.''

A record boom in the jobs market, which saw the unemployment rate fall to a three-decade low of 3.9 percent, ended in May when employers cut workers for the first time in 18 months. The jobless rate was 4.2 percent in June, a report showed last week.

“If the recent signs of moderation in demand for labor continue, which could be expected if overall demand remains on a slower track, that should help to contain any over-exuberance in wage setting,'' Stevens said.

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A new calorie-free natural sweetener being made by Cargill Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. will hit the store shelves this week.

The Business Journal previously reported that Minnetonka-based Cargill and Atlanta-based Coca-Cola developed a product derived from a South American herb called stevia, which also grows in China.

Marketed under the brand name Truvia, the sweetener will go on sale at select D'Agostino supermarkets in New York starting Wednesday. Cargill also is opening a tasting center for consumers at Rockefeller Center to coincide with the product launch. Called the "Truvia Greenhouse," the center, which will be open through Friday, features thousands of stevia plants, and offers consumers samples of beverages sweetened with the product, as well as table-top samples credit reports.

Australian business confidence fell to the lowest level in seven years in June as cooling domestic demand and spiraling raw-material costs eroded corporate profits.

The confidence index dropped to minus 9 points from minus 4 in May, according to a National Australia Bank Ltd. survey of 335 companies. It was the weakest result since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S.

Record oil prices and slower economic growth have damaged global sentiment, with New Zealand companies at their most pessimistic in 33 years and European investor confidence dropping by a record amount. Australian retailer Just Group Ltd. and builder Mirvac Group Ltd. reduced profit forecasts in the past month as interest-rate increases buffet consumer spending, while Qantas Airways Ltd. has cut routes and fired workers.

“The bottom line is for a marked slowdown in Australian economic growth,'' said Alan Oster, chief economist at National Australia Bank in Melbourne. “Activity across interest-rate sensitive areas has moderated significantly.''

Weaker confidence follows figures this week that showed job advertisements dropped the most in almost two years in June and construction work contracted. They all reinforce speculation the central bank has finished raising interest rates.

Australia's dollar traded at 95.48 U.S. cents at 12:36 p.m. in Sydney from 95.57 cents before the report was released. The two-year government bond yield fell 4 basis points to 6.71 percent from yesterday.

Less Than Zero

The sentiment index posted a sixth straight reading of less than zero, which indicates companies expecting their industry will deteriorate outnumber those seeing an improvement.

The survey's business conditions gauge fell to zero, also the lowest since 2001, from 7 points in May. The reading is a measure of corporate hiring, profits and sales in June.

Central bank Governor Glenn Stevens and his board have raised borrowing costs in four quarter-point moves since August to cool inflation that is running at the fastest pace in almost two decades free credit report instantly.

“The Reserve Bank will remain on an inflation alert, but it will become increasingly less alarmed'' as slower growth helps quell price pressures, Oster said. “The bank will remain on hold for the rest of 2008, before lowering the cash rate during 2009.''

The rate increases boosted the nation's benchmark to 7.25 percent. Higher borrowing costs pushed consumer confidence down to the weakest in 16 years, triggering a slowdown in spending.

Shares Decline

The S&P/ASX 200 index of shares has dropped 21 percent this year, outpacing declines in benchmark indexes in the U.K., Japan and the U.S. Australia's stock index fell 0.3 percent today.

Just Group, the nation's largest specialty clothing retailer, cut its profit forecast last week as record fuel prices and higher interest rates erode sales.

Earnings-per-share will be between 29.2 Australian cents and 30.6 cents in the year ending July 31, compared with last month's forecast of 33.4 cents, the Melbourne-based company said.

Mirvac Group Ltd., a property investor and apartment builder, said on June 20 that 12-month earnings may be as much as 8.5 percent lower than previously forecast.

Qantas Airways, the nation's largest carrier, said in June that it will slash services to Japan, shift other Asian routes to low-cost unit Jetstar and cut jobs.

As domestic demand slows, a mining boom is helping shore up Australia's economy. Exports rose to a record in May as demand from China boosted earnings from iron ore and coal shipments.

“Mining conditions, if anything, have picked up since late 2007,'' Oster said. “Solid expansion in emerging-market economies, such as China and India,'' are spurring global growth.

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Swiss National Bank Governing Board member Thomas Jordan said the bank would raise borrowing costs if it saw the risk of a wage-price spiral developing, NZZ am Sonntag reported, citing an interview.

Unions “must be aware'' that trying to compensate for “unpleasantly high'' inflation by increasing salaries would fuel inflation, Jordan is quoted as saying in the interview.

Jordan said interest rates don't need to be changed for now because inflation is likely to drop below the bank's 2 percent limit, assuming oil prices stabilize, Jordan told NZZ am Sonntag pay day loans.

Slowing growth is also likely to damp inflation, he said. The SNB expects to see a “distinct slowdown'' rather than a recession in Switzerland, Jordan is quoted as saying. Overall growth is likely to be 1.5 percent to 2 percent in 2008 and recover in the course of 2009, Jordan said.

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