Sunshine Matters

I am pleased to announce that preliminary estimates* of visitors to Florida for the third quarter of 2011 (July-September) show an estimated 20.4 million travelers visited the Sunshine State.  This represents an increase of 5.1 percent from the same period in 2010.  In addition, Florida’s tourism-related employment for the third quarter of 2011 was 1,009,500, up by 51,400 jobs, which reflects a 5.4 percent increase when compared to third quarter 2010.

Preliminary estimates for the third quarter of 2011 show a 3.4 percent increase in domestic visitors, an 18.7 percent increase in the overseas market and a 4.4 percent increase in Canadian travel to Florida.  Of the 20.4 million visitors Florida welcomed this past quarter, domestic visitation represents 17.5 million or an estimated 85.9 percent of total; overseas visitors at 2.5 million or 12.0 percent of total; and Canadian visitors at 420,000 or 2.1 percent of total.

Among overseas markets, Brazil ranks No. 1 in both visitor numbers and spending – moving ahead of the United Kingdom.  In the third quarter of 2011, Brazil had 371,000 visitors to Florida (up 38 percent over third quarter 2010) who spent $575.6 million (up 56 percent over third quarter 2010).  Year-to-date, Brazil has had 1.1 million visitors to Florida (up 41 percent over the same period in 2010) who have spent $1.6 billion (up 59 percent over the same period in 2010).

“As the state’s No. 1 industry and a key driver of the Florida economy, I’m greatly encouraged by increases in tourism industry jobs and visitors to the Sunshine State,” said Governor Rick Scott. “After meeting with top travel professionals during the trade mission to Brazil last month and seeing first-hand how committed VISIT FLORIDA is to increasing travel by Brazilians to Florida, I’m heartened to learn they have become our top-ranked overseas market.”

Also up for the third quarter of 2011, total enplanements at Florida’s 14 major airports rose by 2.6 percent, hotel occupancy rates were up 4.0 percentage points, and the Average Daily Room Rate increased 6.1 percent from the same period in 2010.  The share of Florida residents taking in-state pleasure trips in the third quarter of 2011 was 43.9 percent, resulting in 5.5 million in-state trips and reflecting a 36.3 percent increase over third quarter 2010.

“Having shown 16 months of growth in direct travel-related employment, tourism has proven to be the state’s leading job producer,” said Tony Lapi, Chairman of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors. “Through the hospitality and professionalism of the more than one million Floridians working in the tourism industry, each dedicated to providing an unparalleled vacation experience for our visitors, we are certain to achieve our goal of making Florida the No. 1 travel destination in the world.”

Florida tourism has been steadily regaining market share since January 2011, outpacing the rest of the U.S. by nearly 2 percentage points.  The percent of rooms sold in Florida for the first three quarters of 2011 is up 7.0 percent compared to the same time period last year, while the U.S. is only up 5.3 percent.

While it’s not surprising that visitors are returning to Florida following challenging economic times and given the incredibly competitive global tourism marketplace, it is noteworthy that Florida’s market share has continued to outpace the rest of the U.S.  The increases we’ve seen in visitor numbers from domestic and international markets is a testament to the strength of our tourism product, the dedication of our hospitality industry employees, and the creative and strategic marketing being implemented by VISIT FLORIDA and our partners statewide.

*Preliminary estimates are issued 45 days after the end of each calendar quarter.  Final estimates are released when final data are received for all estimates in the report.