Greater Fort Lauderdale Reports Nearly Two Years of Tourism Growth

31 August 2011 5:55pm

Greater Fort Lauderdale Reports Nearly Two Years of Tourism Growth
By Kerry Medina

Greater Fort Lauderdale’s tourism industry, fueled by nearly 11 million visitors from around the world, has continued to grow consistently over the last 20 months. This July had the highest hotel occupancy since 2006, up 7.8 percent from 2010. Overall, year-to-date hotel occupancy is 74.4 percent, up 6.1 percent year-over-year. July 2011 saw the highest Average Daily Rate since 2008, and the region has been “in the black” for the past five months.

Tourist tax collections show double-digit growth over the last four months with an increase of 12.2 percent in June 2011 and 11.6 percent in May 2011. March and April also had dramatic increases with 15.4 percent and 25.2 percent, respectively. Bed Tax collections through June 2011 are up 9.1 percent.

With 375 film and entertainment projects pouring nearly $150 million into the local economy since last April, more than 20,000 hotel room nights can be credited to the entertainment industry. The Sports Development division hosted more than 480 sports groups in Broward County, including Junior U.S. Open Judo, USTA Boys Tennis, Pan Am Track and Field, and Junior Beach Volleyball in July.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center is celebrating its 20th anniversary milestone, this September. This year will also mark the building's attainment of LEED status, completing a two-year environmental certification program inside and out. The center is preparing for the largest annual event of the season, the 52nd Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show this October.

July also marked the 23rd consecutive month of positive growth in total passenger traffic at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Expanded service from Los Angeles and new service on Vision Airlines continue the upswing in visitor numbers. Cruise traffic at Port Everglades jumped 25 percent during the first quarter of 2011, setting a record for total passengers.