By Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
Tourists flocked to Florida in record numbers in 2023, the governor’s office announced Tuesday.
Nearly 157 million out-of-state visitors came to here, a 1.4% increase from 2022, according to a Rockport Analytics report commissioned by Visit Florida.
According to the report, visitors spent $131 billion, an increase of 4.9% from 2022. Nearly $38 billion of that total was spent on lodging, while $33.5 billion was spent on food and beverages, the rest on transportation, shopping, entertainment, and recreation.
Visitors initiated $36.9 billion in taxes, including federal taxes worth $19.8 billion, state taxes at $8.5 billion, and local at $8.6 billion.
Tourists statewide spent $359 million per day, on average, according to the report. Tourism-support employment grew by 3.8%.
“The numbers speak for themselves: Florida’s tourism industry is unmatched,” Visit Florida President Dana Young said in the news release. “Thanks to the Governor’s leadership, our state has surpassed expectations year after year. These incredible achievements reflect the dedication of our tourism partners and the unwavering appeal of Florida as the top destination in the world.”
According to the report, each Florida household received $1,910 in tax savings due to tourism activity.
Outpacing the rest
The report concludes that Florida has outpaced the rest of the country in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While both Florida and the U.S. have not fully rebounded in international visitor spending, Florida has moved beyond pre-pandemic benchmarks in tourism GDP, employment, and domestic visitor spending – areas where the U.S. has only recently caught up. Florida’s recovery momentum continues to outpace the national average since the 2020 downturn,” the report states.
Of the 157 million visitors, 93% traveled from within the United States. The volume of international travelers has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The state hit a high for international travelers in 2019 — 15 million. In 2023, that number was 11.5 million.
Florida tourism has rebounded faster than national tourism has since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020. (Graphic via Visit Florida and Rockport Analytics report)
