The latest news and how to stay informed. More important for the states tourism-marketing agency Visit Florida, the estimated total of 32.517 million tourists between July 1 and Sept. 30 bested by just over 0.3% the overall number of visitors in the third quarter of 2019 before the pandemic began. Highlights include: Floridas tourism industry has rebounded exceptionally well from the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of Governor DeSantis leadership and VISIT FLORIDAs efforts to draw visitors back to the state. Data from Visit Florida show that in April 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, hotel demand declined by approximately 78% relative to the same period in 2019. Theme parks and attractions in the state are already reporting record-breaking revenue as 2021 comes to a close. Population of metropolitan areas in the U.S. 2021, U.S. real Gross Domestic Product 2021, by state, U.S. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by state 2022, U.S. fastest growing metropolitan areas 2020-2021. 2020 Annual Tourism Impact Facts. The best states in the U.S. come from coast to coast. Phoenix was in second place at 50.3%. "Central and South Florida, in particular, are heavily reliant on international travelers," Leubkemann says. Initially, recovery relied heavily on domestic visitors. The rate at which travelers booked vacation rentals increased 240% from 2011 to 2019. Read more. I loved that the park had fewer guests. Amid the overall optimism, there are still two elements missing: international travelers and visitors who come on a business trip. No other industry has been harder hit by the pandemic than tourism and few regions as hard as Florida. Overall in 2021, Florida had nearly 118 million domestic visitors, the highest level in state history, as residents of other states flocked to Florida as a refuge from lockdown policies. This will support a stronger jobs recovery in the second half of the year in the state's leisure and hospitality related industries. SeaWorld Orlando responded by saying face coverings will no longer be required for fully vaccinated guests at its properties, while adding that guests wont be required to provide proof of vaccination. This loss occurred in the final quarter of the fiscal year (April-June) due to the effects of pandemic lockdowns (Chart 6). After a decade of year-after-year growth, Florida in 2019 totaled 131.42 million visitors. "The best thing you can do is get vaccinated. International visitors also picked up in the final three months of the year. The business changes follow Gov. People relax on the beach in Miami Beach, Fla., on March 23, 2021. In particular, the new Omicron variant could jeopardize those prospects, if it results in another wave of measures aimed at containing its spread. But, an even bigger milestone is that this figure is 223.4% above the second quarter of 2020. More than 131 million visitors added nearly $97 billion to the state's economy. Overseas visitors were also up 30.8% and with the land border still closed, Canadian visitors were down a substantial 89.2% relative to the same period in 2020. Daytona Beach International Airport (DBIA) is the "Gateway to Central Florida." . Daytona Beach International Airport. Annual findings are also compared to the U.S. travel market. In a 2018 Canada-Florida Economic Impact Study, the Canada Trade Commissioner Service estimated that 500,000 Canadian snowbirds descend on Florida during the winter months. Tourism Spending in Florida Visit Florida, a not-for-profit corporation formed in 1996 (as a public-private partnership), is the state's official tourism marketing corporation. The pandemic had cut tourism by. With its warm climate and multiple world-renowned tourist attractions, Florida has been at the center of the damage. Likewise, in those four months, room nights and spending rose by double . The new estimates by Visit Florida included a revision of the overall numbers for 2020 that indicates the pandemic was worse on the leisure and hospitality industry than previously projected. The unemployment rate is. Key Facts At 51%, Tampa and St. Petersburg had the highest average occupancy rate between January and November of any of STR's top 25 U.S. travel markets. 2018-19 Annual Report (PDF) 2017-18 Annual Report (PDF) Florida Tourism Hall of Fame. Florida's tourism-related businesses have expressed increased difficulty in finding staff, suggesting that the national trend of elevated job openings and rising quit rates are also playing out in the state's travel and leisure sector. In March, Orlando International Airport saw a nearly 25% increase in passengers compared to the same month a year earlier. The sector was hard hit by the pandemic, which lead to dramatic reductions in visitor arrivals. Hayes said the tourism boom in 2021 has lasted beyond Easter and spring break season, when travel from out of state normally begins to slow. Approximately 1.5 million overseas visitors came to Florida in Q4 of 2021, an increase of 198 percent from 2020, and 43 percent from Q3 2021. With the changes, Disneys Chapek said he anticipates an immediate increase in the number of folks that were able to admit into our parks through our reservation systems that we recently implemented.. In 2020, international travelers spent $83 billion compared to $233 billion in 2019, a loss of 64% ( US Travel) Travel spending - $38.1 billion (compared to $139 billion in 2019) The scope of the impact remains uncertain and the Omicron unknown represents a downside risk to the industry. Visit Florida President and CEO Dana Young said in a statement Monday that the overall first-quarter numbers indicate a better recovery than expected.. The new numbers come as the state and federal governments battle in court over the idled cruise-ship industry and as major Orlando theme parks and other businesses have changed mask-wearing rules. In addition, 359,000 Canadian travelers visited Florida between October and December of 2021, nearly three times as many as in the previous quarter. Ron DeSantis recent suspension of all local-government coronavirus emergency orders. Colombia was the state's No. Click Orlando, "Orlando International Airport travelers happy to see U.S. allowing more international travel". partner@VISITFLORIDA.org . Pent-up demand for travel has also allowed these businesses to raise prices, thereby further padding their bottom lines. 2019 Annual Tourism Impact Facts. Out of all the states in the country, Florida has the fourth-largest GDP (gross domestic product), at $883.1 billion, behind only California, Texas and New York, according to a 24/7 Wall St. article. The latter are especially important to Orlando, which is one of a handful of U.S. cities that can handle a mega-convention with thousands of attendees. Nashville to Tampa: Hey, nice Riverwalk you got there. While tourism in other states is only just beginning to recover, Florida is at the front of the pack now we are surpassing pre-pandemic levels and setting new visitation records. The reduction of 40.5 million visitors likely resulted in almost $25 billion in lost visitor spending. However, the number was down by 900,000, or 11%, from the third quarter of 2019. While the metric has been on the rise since then, it still remains below the pre-pandemic level (Chart 9). 80% of all US domestic trips were for leisure travel in 2019. ", As for conventions, Leubkemann says he has seen some interest of late. A similar measure in the House (HB 489) offers an extension to Oct. 1, 2028. Click here for additional tourism facts and statistics. If the new variant triggers another wave of infections globally then all bets are off. While quarterly park attendance was up significantly relative to 2020 (7.2 million vs 1.5 million) it was still down by 900,000 relative to third quarter 2019.6, Universal Orlando also had a record-breaking quarter. There are some positive outcomes heading into 2022, such as increasing visitor arrivals; however, the industry is still not out of the woods yet. The Evergreen State takes the top spot again in the U.S. News Best States ranking on the strength of its tech sector and other industries. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. The Longwoods International Travel USA report measures the growth of Colorado's tourism industry and provides deep insights into how visitors spend their time in Colorado. This stellar performance helped the theme parks division of the company to earn approximately $1.4 billion in revenue, significantly above the $385 million earned in Q3 2020.7, The theme parks and related business units of Disney also reported rising income. In Florida, we put freedom first, and as a result people are choosing to vacation in our state from across the country and the world to escape lockdowns, including the politicians who advocated for those reckless policies and who are often spotted vacationing here, said Governor Ron DeSantis. BEA. In addition, 359,000 Canadian travelers visited Florida between October and December of 2021, nearly three times as many as in the previous quarter. As 2021 began, the pickup was becoming more pronounced. In 2019, valued added from the tourism industry was estimated at over $30 billion for the Central Florida economy with the top two employers in the region being Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort. dollars)." Attracting and maintaining workers is likely to require higher wages, epitomizing the trend seen in the broader American economy. They have been able to weather the worst of the pandemic and should continue to improve heading into 2022. Arrivals reached a record high of 131.4 million in 2019, just prior to the pandemic, growing at an annual average rate of 5.9% over the five-year period. It is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. Overall, Florida's recovery from the pandemic induced downturn is well underway, despite unevenness among market segments. Until the pandemic, Florida posted nine consecutive years of increased tourism numbers, topped by 131.4 million travelers in 2019. April 2021: 2019 . Travel-industry officials can envision bluer economic skies ahead as businesses scale back mask requirements and other social-distancing rules imposed to combat the virus that has killed more than 36,000 Floridians. SeaWorld Entertainment, Investor Relations, "Q3 2021 Earnings Release". Domestic leisure travel increased 1.9% in 2019 to 1.9 billion. With marketing focused primarily across the U.S., Visit Florida recorded an estimated 91.484 million visitors in the first nine months of 2021, up from 60.213 million in the first nine months of 2020, which included the massive global closures due to the pandemic. Sales taxes were the largest contributor to the state's general revenue at 76% in FY 2018/2019. The pandemic began hammering the states economy in March 2020, amid a period that includes tourist draws such as spring break and baseball spring training. The second-quarter number was up 5.6% from the same period in 2021. As the coronavirus struck and the state closed up shop in response, the number of hotel nights sold across the state plummeted 80.1%. With lockdown measures put into effect in April, many non-essential businesses were forced to close. Between limits on crowds and capacity, restrictions on travel, and a slump in domestic demand due to health concerns, Florida's travel and tourism industry ground to a near halt in 2020. We also saw a significant rebound in international travel, including record visitation from Colombia that has made it now Floridas No. ", BEA, Real value added to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Florida in 2021, by industry (in billion chained 2012 U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/304903/florida-real-gdp-by-industry/ (last visited March 01, 2023), Real value added to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Florida in 2021, by industry (in billion chained 2012 U.S. dollars) [Graph], BEA, September 30, 2022. Restaurants switched to takeout and delivery and as some reopenings began amid social distancing rules and limited capacities, the industry slowly began to rebound from the depths of April 2020. The report from Visit Florida, which looked at tourism during the second quarter of 2021, found an estimated 31.7 million visitors went to Florida between April 1 and June 30. Market research indicates a compound annual growth rate of 8.49% from 2022 to 2026. Thanks to both Christmas and New Year's, it is by far the highest occupancy seen during the pandemic. Pinellas County started outdoing pre-pandemic. For Visit Florida, the third-quarter numbers were dominated by domestic travelers, accounting for 31.205 million tourists, a 55.3% jump from the third quarter of 2020. Florida's tourism industry saw improvement during the first three months of 2021, but the number of visitors was still down 14% from a year earlier as the state continued to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Florida certainly needs a shot in the arm from a tourism recovery. On the day of the reopening, Miami International Airport reported that international arrivals were already running 5,000 ahead of the previous Monday.3 Similarly, international seat capacity on flights through Orlando International Airport have already risen by 40,000 from what they were in October and are scheduled to increase by an additional 88,000 seats in December.4, The return of international visitors is great news for the major attractions (and hotels) that cater to them. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida welcomed 36 million total visitors between January and March 2022 according to VISIT FLORIDA estimates. His advice for travelers? The number of tourists fell to 9.92 million in the second quarter of 2020, a 69.4 percent drop from the prior year, before increasing to 20.33 million in the third quarter and 19.1 million for the fourth quarter. Just more than one-third of Floridians are fully vaccinated. Demand in 2021 is forecast to rise to about 23 million room nights. The domestic travelers number was 5.3% below the first quarter of 2020. Key December Highlights: Travel spending totaled $97 billion in December3% above 2019 levels and 7% above 2021 levels The air travel experience is sub-par for nearly half of Americans45% rate it as average or below and just one in 10 (13%) rate their overall travel experience as excellent Visit Florida President and CEO Dana Young has said international visitors are vital to the states economy because they tend to spend more time and money than domestic travelers. Domestic visitors accounted for almost 98% of the total, split about 71% drivers and 29% flyers. Travel-industry officials can envision bluer economic skies ahead as businesses scale back mask requirements and other social-distancing rules imposed to combat the virus that has killed more than 36,000 Floridians. Downtown St. Petersburg to get 16-court pickleball complex this year, Rays Tyler Glasnow on skydiving, hair care and being attacked by monkeys. A day earlier, SeaWorld Entertainment reported its quarterly attendance was 7.2 million, an increase of 5.7 million guests from the same period of 2020. The reasons for the lack of labor supply are many and varied, some related to wage levels, personal preferences, childcare options and others to health concerns. While Disney reported second-quarter results May 13 that showed the company's parks division suffered about $1.2 billion in lost operating income due to the pandemic, the reopening of its California parks in addition to the relaxation of masking rules is luring customers back to its attractions. Florida welcomed 30.9 million visitors between . The states 2021 first-quarter numbers were bolstered by 25.56 million travelers from other parts of the United States, which has been the primary target of Visit Florida marketing since last summer. Please explore these resources, and reach out to us with questions or comments at info@daytonabeach.com or call (386) 255-0415. Duke Energy Florida seeks to charge customers to recoup storm costs. There were 3.6 million Canadian visitors to Florida in 2019, more than double the second highest visitor destination, the United Kingdom. DeSantis has repeatedly argued the states economy could be doing better if the CDC would allow cruise ships to start operating without requirements for passengers and crew. The park strictly enforced the mask policy, which was also comforting. September 30, 2022. DeSantis on Thursday dismissed Miami-headquartered Norwegian Cruise Line, which operates out of Port Canaveral, Port Miami and Tampa, as not one of the big ones.. More information about the newly released estimates can be found here. This time around, policymakers appear to be leaning more toward vaccinations and testing as opposed to the widespread lockdowns and travel bans that were prevalent at the start of the pandemic. 2. Florida tourism officials say that during the pandemic, the state's residents were the ones to help keep things going as they could drive when others were unable or unwilling to fly. Hotel revenues for the year reached $17.3 billion, the highest ever. As demand returns, the challenge for the industry may be ramping up employment. Visit Florida President and CEO Dana Young said in a statement Monday that the overall first-quarter numbers indicate a better recovery than expected.. As 2021 progresses, tourism numbers have been promising. We had no idea what was about to hit us. Of that 118 million, 1.5 million were overseas travelersan increase of 43 percent compared to the third quarter of 2021. As it did throughout the United States, Florida's labor force participation took a hit during the pandemic. Is downtown St. Petersburg next? Still, before this latest surge the state's tourism marketing arm found 31.7 million travelers to Florida from April through June 2021, representing an increase of more than 220% over the prior . 2019 Collier County Tourism Impact Report. In addition, approximately 1.2 million visitors traveled to Florida from overseas, and 85,000 from Canada between July and September of 2021, representing a 597 percent increase from 2020, and a 16.1 percent increase from Q2 2021. "All staff wore masks and visors. Sales tax collection, the largest contributor to the General Revenue fund, was over $1.5 billion lower than projected for the fiscal year. 2022 February . But just as happens after a big storm, the state picked up the pieces and began to adapt. Given the restrictions imposed on international travel, this fillip has been missing for almost two years. As at writing, a new variant of the coronavirus, dubbed Omicron, has emerged. By July, Disney reopened its Florida parks after nearly four months of closure. Florida real GDP 2021, by industry Published by Statista Research Department , Oct 5, 2022 In Florida, the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry added 1.4 billion chained. The Chairman and CEO of Comcast, (Universal Orlando's parent company), noted that the three months ending September 2021 was the most profitable in the theme park's history. Florida also welcomed 27.3 million visitors from January to March this year. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set Because the formula for the chain-type quantity indexes uses weights of more than one period, the corresponding chained-dollar estimates are usually not additive. Ron DeSantis. The Office of Economic & Demographic Research, which publishes the state's official revenue estimates, reported that Florida's General Revenue was $1.9 billion (5.7%) lower than projected for the fiscal year (ending June 2020). Total visitors to Florida averaged 119 million in the five years prior to 2020, with domestic travelers accounting for the bulk of this number (Chart 1). A budget approved April 30 by state lawmakers would provide $50 million to Visit Florida for the fiscal year that will start July 1 the same as in the current year and pump an additional $25 million into the agency from federal stimulus money to conduct activities that support and fund Florida's tourism industry and its recovery from COVID-19 through promotion and marketing activities, services, functions, and programs. The budget has not gone to Gov. Subscribe to our free Business by the Bay newsletter. 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