Florida tourism

Tourism in Florida during the first half of 2022 was up 20 percent from the same period last year and was higher than during the first six months of 2019, the last full year of travel before the pandemic.

Florida attracted a record number of tourists during the first three months of 2022, surpassing totals from similar quarters before the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the hospitality and leisure industry.

From January to June of this year, Airbnb saw more bookings for long-term stays in Florida than any other time in the company’s history. Tomas Martinelli is the company’s public policy director for Florida. He says people are choosing Florida because it has a lot to offer.

Florida attracted 31.7 million visitors in the second quarter of this year, as the state continued to expand tourism-marketing efforts and COVID-19 vaccinations became readily available.

Pointing to a continued surge of COVID-19 cases, the Florida Democratic Party on Monday called off a major annual conference and fundraising event scheduled for the end of August in Orlando.

Florida’s tourism-marketing agency is planning international trips as leaders work to offset the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the travel industry.

While leaders push back against a federal recommendation to close bars and halt indoor restaurant dining, Florida’s tourism-marketing agency is looking west as the industry continues trying to rebound during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Ron DeSantis supports lifting federal COVID-19 restrictions on travelers from the United Kingdom and Brazil to help Florida’s struggling tourism industry.

Nature-based tourism holds promise for Northwest Florida communities where jobs are scarce. Getting that industry off the ground has proven challenging in rural Calhoun County, which is still recovering from Hurricane Michael.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is backing Visit Florida's decision to encourage in-state tourism. The agency is hoping its new marketing campaign will boost local economies hit hard by the coronavirus.