Florida tourism growth rate slows
Florida tourist arrivals continue to grow but the pace of growth is slowing.
The July to September quarter saw the lowest rise since 2010, up just 1.1% on the corresponding period in 2018.
Since then the average quarterly gain had been 6.2%.
Visit Florida reported 31.6 million people visited the Sunshine State in the third quarter.
Domestic and Canadian arrivals were slightly up, but international visitation continues to lag.
The figures are worrying for tourism leaders concerned over reduced funding for the state tourism marketing agency, and even the long term future of Visit Florida itself.
Marketing to international visitors is more important than ever, they say.
Florida Association of Destination Marketing Organizations executive director Robert Skrob said: "The brand of Florida will carry the big destinations but it’s not going to get visitors to all the other parts of the state that still rely on visitors to pay for taxes to support the businesses that are in the industry."
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025
U.S.A. and Israel attacks on Iran impact air movements in the Gulf (Update 1.00pm CET)
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025