Tourism

Leaders say there are plenty of areas for tourists to love. They say the best way to help the Gulf Coast region recover is by visiting and supporting local businesses.

Champions of short-term rentals say they provide income for homeowners and boost tourism, while critics say a revolving cast of visitors can negatively impact neighborhoods.

The Visit Florida tourism-marketing agency reported an 18.3% increase in international tourists compared to 2022.

With heat waves, fires, and storms becoming more frequent and intense, small businesses increasingly see extreme weather as their next long-term challenge.

The governor's appointees to a board that oversees Disney World’s governing district have launched a battle against the company over free passes and discounts for employees.

Visit Florida's CEO says the drop is partly due to increased competition from other states and countries that shut down longer than Florida did during the pandemic.

The state's tourism agency, Visit Florida, estimated a record 37.9 million visitors from January through March.

The U.S. Travel Association estimated that international travel to the U.S. was 34 percent below pre-pandemic levels.

Visit Florida estimates the state attracted 35 million travelers during the third quarter, a 6.9 percent increase from 2021. The estimate was also 8% above the same period of 2019, before the pandemic.

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.