Visit Florida Reports 6.9 Percent Increase in Quarterly Visitors

Visit Florida Reports 6.9 Percent Increase in Quarterly Visitors
By Kerry Medina

Preliminary estimates of visitors to Florida for the second quarter of 2011 (April-June), released by Visit Florida, the official tourism marketing corporation for the State of Florida, show an estimated 21.2 million travelers visited the Sunshine State.

This represents an increase of 6.9 percent from the same period in 2010. In addition, 5.6 million pleasure trips were taken by Florida residents in-state during the second quarter.

Preliminary estimates for the second quarter of 2011 show a 5.3 percent increase in domestic visitors, a 17.3 percent increase in the overseas market and an 18.4 percent increase in Canadian travel to Florida.

Of the 21.2 million visitors Florida welcomed this past quarter, domestic visitation represents 18.1 million or an estimated 85.4 percent of total; overseas visitors at 2.2 million or 10.3 percent of total; and Canadian visitors at 879,000 or 4.2 percent of total.

Also up for the second quarter of 2011, total enplanements at Florida’s 14 major airports rose by 5 percent, hotel occupancy rates were up 4 percentage points, and the Average Daily Rate increased 4.8 percent from the same period in 2010. The share of Florida residents taking in-state pleasure trips in the second quarter of 2011 was 52.9 percent, resulting in an additional 5.6 million in-state trips.

Florida tourism has been steadily regaining market share since January 2011, outpacing the rest of the U.S. by more than 1 percent. The percent of rooms sold in Florida for the first two quarters of 2011 is up 6.9 percent compared to the same time period last year, while the U.S. is only up 5.8 percent.