TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that visitation to Florida continues to rise, setting a record for the number of visitors to Florida in the third quarter of a year, with an estimated total of 35.1 million visitors between July and September 2023. Visitation included 32.2 million domestic visitors, 2.2 million overseas visitors and 666,000 Canadian visitors. Additionally, Florida continues to beat overall annual visitation records with 105.2 million visitors so far in 2023, 724,000 more visitors than the first nine months of 2022.
“Florida continues to set records for visitation because of our commitment to allowing visitors to enjoy their travels without arbitrary government restrictions,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Florida will continue to be a beacon of freedom for travelers.”
“VISIT FLORIDA’s efforts, in conjunction with local tourism partners, do more than spotlight the unparalleled beauty of the Sunshine State but have also fueled a growth in visitation from global travelers,” said Dana Young, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA. “Because of the visionary leadership of Governor DeSantis, whose Freedom First policies led our state to record numbers of visitors in the past, Florida has secured a new normal with an elevated market share of tourism, especially international tourism.”
Highlights from VISIT FLORIDA’s latest visitation estimates include:
- 35.1 million visitors are estimated to have traveled to Florida in Q3 2023, an increase of 1.6 percent from the same period in 2022, and 8.0 percent higher than the same period in 2019.
- Florida has seen a total of 105.2 million visitors in the first three quarters of 2023, with 96.4 million domestic visitors, 6.0 million overseas visitors and 2.8 million Canadian visitors.
- Travel spend in Florida is up 11.3 percent compared to Q3 2019, while the U.S. as a whole was only up 3.9 percent. Additionally, Florida continues to beat our competition with travel spending in California and New York down 3.2 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively.
- Q3 visitation is estimated at 32.2 million domestic visitors, 2.2 million overseas visitors and 666,000 Canadian visitors.
- The number of overseas and Canadian visitors in CY 2023 increased 19.3 percent and 60.3 percent respectively from the same period in 2022. The total percentage increase of all visitors is at 0.7 percent from the first nine months of 2022.
- Domestic visitors accounted for 91.8 percent of visitors in Q3 2023, while overseas visitors were 6.3 percent and Canadians were 1.9 percent.
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Originally published at https://www.flgov.com/2023/11/16/florida-sets-new-visitation-record-in-third-quarter/
