Florida’s tourism industry is experiencing significant growth, driven primarily by domestic travelers, while the number of visitors from Canada continues to decline. According to Visit Florida, approximately 34.435 million people visited the state from April 1 to June 30, 2024, a slight increase from 34.279 million during the same period last year. This marks a record for the tourism sector in the second quarter, highlighting the ongoing recovery post-pandemic.
The surge in visitors is largely attributed to U.S. travelers, who accounted for 31.499 million of the total, or 91.5%. This figure represents a minor increase from 31.419 million in the second quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, the estimated 2.295 million overseas travelers reflected an impressive increase of 11.4% compared to the previous year.
Despite these promising numbers, the situation is less favorable for Canadian visitors. An estimated 640,000 Canadians traveled to Florida during the same quarter, indicating a sharp decline of 20% from 2023. This reduction has prompted state officials to seek out new opportunities to attract international visitors from other regions.
Visit Florida’s President and CEO, Bryan Griffin, addressed this issue during a meeting with the agency’s Executive Committee. He noted, “Florida is seeing an increase in visitors from other places, including Brazil, which I think is part of that overseas visitation increase. We are really monitoring this trend and exploring ways to continue it.”
The decline in Canadian tourism is noteworthy, especially as Florida has struggled to regain its pre-pandemic levels of visitors from overseas and Canada. In 2019, before the pandemic, overseas travelers made up 7.4% of Florida’s visitor totals, while Canadians represented about 3.11%.
This year, the statistics reveal that overseas travelers now constitute 6.7% of the total visitors, with Canadians making up just 1.9%. Issues such as tariffs imposed by the U.S. and political tensions, including former President Donald Trump‘s remarks about annexing Canada, may have contributed to the declining numbers.
According to Statistics Canada, the country experienced a 15.6% drop in international arrivals in July 2024 compared to the previous year, marking six consecutive months of decline. Return trips by Canadians from the United States have also seen significant decreases, with a 36.9% drop for car travelers and a 25.8% decline for air travelers.
In total, Florida welcomed an estimated 75.394 million tourists during the first half of 2024, slightly down by 0.1% from the same period in 2023. This decrease followed a revision of first-quarter estimates, which now stand at 40.959 million visitors, a reduction from the previously reported 41.193 million.
As part of its strategy to bolster tourism, Florida’s budget for 2025-2026, effective July 1, includes $80 million allocated to Visit Florida, maintaining the same funding level as the previous fiscal year.
The ongoing efforts to diversify the state’s visitor base, particularly in light of decreasing Canadian numbers, will be crucial for maintaining Florida’s position as a leading tourist destination. Continued monitoring of overseas markets, such as Brazil, could provide new avenues for growth in the coming years.
