ORLANDO, Fla. — Tourism in Florida is on the rise and is surpassing pre-pandemic levels, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced during a press conference last week on Fort Walton Beach.
The governor said that in 2021, Florida received nearly 118 million domestic visitors, the highest level in state history. DeSantis also announced that between October and December 2021, Florida welcomed 30.9 million visitors, marking the second consecutive quarter that overall visitation has surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
“While tourism in other states is only just beginning to recover, Florida is at the front of the pack, now we are surpassing pre-pandemic levels and setting new visitation records,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I’m thankful that VISIT FLORIDA continued to market our state throughout the past two years, and I am confident that 2022 will be another great year for Florida’s tourism industry.”
Read: Carnival Cruises to change mask guidelines
Initial estimates from VISIT FLORIDA show a nearly 60% increase in tourism in the fourth quarter of last year compared to the same period in 2020 and a 7% increase from 2019.
Read: Rents reach ‘insane’ levels across Florida and US with no end in sight
“We are thrilled to cap off an incredible year with more record-breaking success for Florida’s tourism industry,” said Dana Young, VISIT FLORIDA president and CEO. “Overall visitation not only exceeded 2019′s for the second quarter in a row, but domestically reached the highest point in our state’s history. We also saw a significant rebound in international travel, including record visitation from Colombia that has made it now Florida’s No. 1 international origin market.”
Read: FDLE to investigate after police shoot, kill wedding guest in Winter Park
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2022 Cox Media Group
