florida tourism

A record 36 million people visited Florida in the first quarter of 2022.

Visit Florida has drawn praise the past few years for its marketing work amid crises such as toxic algae outbreaks and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The increase passed unanimously during Tourist Development Council deliberations and unanimously again by county commissioners during a Tuesday public hearing.

It will leave it up to vacationers to decide whether they feel safe getting on a ship.

The AAA study says declining COVID rates and increased eagerness about traveling have contributed to these statistics.

Visit Florida is set to run out of funding in fall of 2023 — unless state lawmakers act before then.

Tampa’s hotel occupancy rate was at or near the top in the nation for the past two years, officials say.

The president and CEO of Visit Florida said the agency will continue to expand its marketing efforts and encourage tourists to vacation in Florida this winter.

The theme park says masks will be required at all public indoor locations and at all attractions from the moment guests enter the lines to when they leave.

Tourism officials are slightly lowering expectations through the middle of 2022 for Canadian and overseas travelers, along with looking at the impact on the state's economy.

Pinellas County had $9.8 million more in hotel tax collections compared to 2019; Hillsborough County was up $1.5 million.

Air travel is roaring back after the pandemic caused it to crash in 2020. AAA says more than 4 million Americans will fly over Thanksgiving, almost matching 2019 numbers. But airlines have struggled to adjust.