TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, VISIT FLORIDA announced that in 2023, Florida welcomed 135 million visitors, leading 2019 tourism levels by 3.0%. Overseas visitation in Q4 2023 is estimated at 2.3 million, an increase of 15.9% from Q4 2022, a sign that Florida continues to be the preferred destination for international travelers. Canadian visitation is estimated at 1.1 million in Q4 2023, up +22.0% from Q4 2022. The state saw significant growth in overseas and Canadian visitation, with an 18.3% increase in overseas visitors and a 45.5% rise in Canadian travelers compared to 2022, indicating the continued return of international visitors. This performance is noteworthy considering the increasing financial burden of inflation and rising travel costs faced by travelers.
Calendar Year 2023 saw a 9.0% increase in enplanements, with Q4 showing a significant increase in enplanements in Fort Myers (+32.4%). The Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau reports that 76% of hotel rooms have reopened, and that in Q4 2023 visitation was up by 65.8% and with a 26.2% increase in direct spending by visitors when compared to Q4 2022, reflecting the area’s recovery from Hurricane Ian.
«Even as we faced the challenges of rising travel costs and widespread inflation, Florida’s tourism sector not only persevered but flourished,» said Dana Young, President & CEO of VISIT FLORIDA. «From record air travel numbers to the significant return of international visitors, Florida continues to shine.»
Highlights from VISIT FLORIDA’s latest visitation estimates include:
Calendar Year 2023
- Calendar Year 2023 saw a total of 135.0 million visitors, with 122.9 million domestic visitors (91.0%), 8.3 million overseas visitors (6.2%), and 3.8 million Canadian visitors (2.8%).
- The estimated 122.9 million domestic visitors was an increase of +4.9% since 2019
- Overseas visitation had an estimated +18.3% increase from 2022, the closest that overseas visitation has come to full recovery since the beginning of the pandemic.
- Canadian visitation is estimated to have increased by +45.5% from 2022. Canadian visitation was down by -6.5% from 2019, a significant improvement from the -35.7% decrease seen in 2022.
- Preliminary estimates place the air/non-air split for domestic visitors to Florida in 2022 at 37.3% / 62.7%, setting a new record for air visitation with 45.9 million, constituting the largest share of air visitors since 2016.
Q4 2023
- Domestic visitation is estimated at 26.4 million in Q4 2023, with overseas visitors estimated at 2.3 million and Canadian visitors at 1.1 million.
- In Q4 2023, Domestic visitors accounted for 88.5% of the total, while overseas visitors were 7.9% and Canadian visitors were 3.6%.