Florida saw 140.6 million visitors, a new record and a 2.3% increase over 2022.
Peter Kranis: The state has valued tourism at $121.5 billion in economic impact, 2 million tourism jobs, and $1,840 in tax savings per resident — and our county alone has an economic impact of $4.6 billion from tourism.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The State of Florida recently released its 2024-25 marketing plan for July through June. In it, there were some very interesting statistics about the current state of Florida’s tourism industry that I would like to share with you.
This is similar to what we’ve seen here on the Space Coast, and sometimes it’s helpful to take a step back and look at the macro numbers statewide.
Firstly, 140.6 million tourists visited the state, a new record and a 2.3% increase over 2022. This total visitor count is made up of 129.1 million domestic tourists, a record high, and 11.5 million international tourists, down 16.9% from the 2019 high.
Tourism generated $121.5 billion in economic output in Florida, supporting 2 million tourism jobs and saving every resident $1,840 in taxes (and $4.6 billion in the county alone). Florida also grew its domestic market share to 14.8%, up 1% from the previous year. Florida’s share of international travelers was strong at 25.2%, and Canadian travelers were at 15.5%.
From an air travel perspective, 56.2 million people flew to Florida, up 8.6% from a year ago. Seat capacity to Florida also grew at a record pace in the first six months of 2024, adding 4.9 million seats and accounting for 11.1% of the nation’s scheduled seat capacity. New seats accounted for 22% of the nation’s new seats.
Hotel demand was down 2.6 million rooms, or 2%, and occupancy rates dropped to 69.1% statewide, while average daily rate (ADR) increased slightly by 0.3% to $189. RevPar was down 1.9%, while hotel inventory remained relatively flat, increasing only 0.1%, largely due to inventory losses in Southwest Florida following Hurricane Ian.
Florida vacation rental guest volume increased 3% in 2023 compared to 2022, with combined guest volume booked through Airbnb and Vrbo up 4%. ADR softened slightly 7% to $291 on a 14% increase in supply, and occupancy was also down 9%, causing revenue per available room (RevPAR) to decrease 15% in total to $140.
Overall, 2023 was a very strong year for the state, as it was for us. Their marketing plan will continue to focus on key markets by promoting some of the lesser known areas of Florida and highlighting hiking and biking trails.
Visit Florida 2024-25 Marketing Plan
Click here for more information
– Peter Cranis, Executive Director, Space Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau
Peter Kranis: The state has valued tourism at $121.5 billion in economic impact, 2 million tourism jobs, and $1,840 in tax savings per resident — and our county alone has an economic impact of $4.6 billion from tourism.
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