Florida has overtaken New York as the US destination for international tourists.
The Sunshine State grew its market share of in-bound international travellers by 21% and overtook New York in popularity during 2022 for the first time since 2011.
During the first nine months of 2022, a total of 104.5 million tourists visited Florida. That was up by over 15% year-on-year, but also crucially up by more than 4% on pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
Much of the recovery – not just from the Covid shutout, but also the havoc caused by Hurricane Ian – has been attributed to a multimillion dollar marketing campaign undertaken by Visit Florida.
“Florida tourism continues to reach new heights thanks to Visit Florida’s strategic marketing initiatives in tandem with the initiatives of our tourism partners throughout the state,” said Visit Florida president and CEO Dana Young.
“Quarter after quarter, our vacation message has clearly resonated with travelers far and wide, and delivered record-breaking results on behalf of all Floridians. We appreciate Governor Ron DeSantis’ support and leadership that have helped get us here today, and are looking forward to leading Florida’s No. 1 industry to even more success in 2023.”
