TALLAHASSEE – Another year, another record for Florida tourism.
According to VISIT FLORIDA, the official state travel and tourism organization, a record 95.8 million tourists came to the state over a nine-month period, a 6.7 percent increase over the same period last year. From January to September, 85 million domestic visitors, 8 million overseas visitors and 2.8 million visitors from Canada traveled to the Sunshine State.
VISIT FLORIDA estimates that a record 30.7 million visitors traveled to Florida from July to September, an increase of 10.1 percent over the same period last year. This third quarter number represents 27.5 million domestic visitors, 2.7 million overseas visitors and 490,000 Canadian visitors to the Sunshine State. Total enplanements at Florida’s 18 major airports in the third quarter increased 10.2 percent over the same period last year, with 21.9 million passengers. The number of visitors through Florida’s five Official Welcome Centers and Florida’s average daily room rate also grew, increasing by 2.3 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively.
As the Sunshine State’s number-one industry, tourism was responsible for welcoming 118.8 million visitors in 2017. Based on the latest economic impact study, Florida visitors spent $112 billion and supported more than 1.4 million Florida jobs. According to the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, for every $1 the state invests in VISIT FLORIDA, $2.15 in tax revenue is generated.
