by Steve Wilson
Florida officials say 34.6 million visitors spent time in the Sunshine State in the third quarter of this year, eclipsing the previous third quarter record by 1.7% and giving the state three consecutive quarters of record growth.
That comes despite Hurricanes Debby and Helene making landfall in the quarter. Milton, in the just started fourth quarter, made it three hurricanes in 66 days.
According to VISIT FLORIDA data, 34.5 million visited in the second quarter and 40.6 million in the first quarter for a total of 109.7 million so far this year.
Last year, more than 140 million made Florida their vacation destination.
Preliminary estimates say that that 92.1% of that total was domestic, with overseas (5.8%) and Canadians accounting for the remainder (2.2%).
According to VISIT FLORIDA data, the state attracted 31.5 million domestic visitors in the second quarter, a 1.8% increase in domestic visitors compared to the same time last year. International tourist traffic increased 1.8% as well compared to 2023’s second quarter with 2 million coming from overseas and 739,000 Canadians.
“Florida continues to set the standard as the top destination for tourists,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis in a release. “These impressive numbers reflect the success of our efforts to prioritize public safety, freedom, and common-sense leadership. These priorities make the Free State of Florida a most appealing place to visit.”
According to the data, 38.1% of those visitors arrived via air, the highest for a second quarter since 2016.
Passenger data shows 29.2 million visitors boarded an airplane to visit the Sunshine State, a 5% increase compared to the second quarter of 2023.
Orlando had the most enplanements with 7.5 million (up 0.9% compared to second quarter 2023) followed by Miami with 7.1 million (9.3% increase). Passenger traffic at Panama City (20.1%) and Tallahassee (16.6%) had the biggest growth compared to the second quarter of 2023 percentage wise.
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Steve Wilson has been an award-winning writer and editor for nearly 20 years at newspapers in Georgia, Florida and Mississippi and is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and University of Alabama graduate. Wilson is a regional editor for The Center Square.
Photo “Florida Tourism” by Matthew Paulson. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
