TALLAHASSEE — Florida announced a record number of tourists in the first quarter of 2024 as total international visitors continue to approach pre-pandemic levels.
An estimated 40.6 million people traveled to Florida in the first three months of this year, an increase of 1.2% compared to the same period in 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office announced Thursday. The state also announced an amendment that would increase the total for 2023.
The bulk of the numbers for the first quarter of this year were an estimated 37,187,000 travelers to Florida from other states, the highest ever for a single quarter. An estimated 2.13 million international travelers and 1.284 million Canadian tourists also visited the province.
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The numbers come after DeSantis and tourism marketing agency Visit Florida last week touted Florida as the top domestic destination for U.S. travelers and No. 2 for international travelers.
The number of international travelers in the first quarter of this year was up from just under 1.8 million in the same period in 2023, but still below 2019’s total of 2.276 million. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic hit the state in early 2020, causing major disruption to the tourism industry.
The estimated total number of visitors from Canada in the first quarter of this year increased by 6.9% compared to the same period in 2023, but was still lower than the 1,446,000 visitors from Canada in the first quarter of 2019.
During an April 30 appearance in Collier County, Visit Florida President and CEO Dana Young said that 2 million Floridians work in the hospitality industry, and about six in 1 job. He added that annual and quarterly tourist numbers do not include Floridians visiting other parts of the state.
“The numbers are huge. Summer is the best travel season for foreign tourists, mainly from Latin America and Europe,” Young said.
According to the Census Bureau, the city’s population grew along with the rest of the South.
According to Thursday’s announcement, airport passenger boarding in the first quarter of 2024 increased by 9.4% compared to 2023, with Orlando International Airport accounting for 7.6 million of the 30.2 million passengers. Miami International Airport followed with 7.5 million.
Orlando Sanford International Airport and Daytona Beach International Airport were the only airports to see a drop in passenger numbers, according to the governor’s office.
Visit Florida also revised the total number of tourists for 2023 from 135,108,000 to 140,624,000. As a result of this change, the number of visitors in 2023 exceeded the 137,409,000 visitors in 2022.
The state attracted a then-high 131,069,000 tourists in 2019, but the number declined to 79,397,000 in 2020 and 121,838,000 in 2021 due to the pandemic.
The 2024-2025 state budget that lawmakers passed in March includes $80 million for Visit Florida, the same amount as the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Congress has not formally sent DeSantis’ budget proposal. Signature and veto.
