Florida Tourism Today
Florida, the Sunshine State is one of the top vacation spots of the United States. That is not surprising. The perennial sunshine and glorious beaches make it a favorite tourist destination in the United States. What is surprising, and pleasantly so, is the actual number of tourists that come into Florida each year.
As of 2010, the 82.6 million tourists who came to vacation in Florida generated an income of $60.9 billion. That number excludes the tax revenues and personal and business incomes of the residents. With income from tourists supporting businesses, tourism has become the primary source of income for the whole state. Here is the trend of tourism in the past decade:
-
Year
Total visitors in millions
1999
58.9
2000
72.8
2001
69.5
2002
73.9
2003
74.6
2004
79.7
2005
83.6
2006
83.9
2007
84.5
2008
84.2
2009
80.9
2010
82.6
Since 2005, tourism has slowly but surely picked up, with a slight hiccup in 2009 from the worldwide economic recession. But since last year, the numbers are starting to rise and will hopefully continue on an upward trend by the end of this year.
So why do they come to Florida? The biggest factor would be the reliable sunshine when they hit the long expanse of white sand beaches. Supporting the influx of tourists are the competitively priced rental homes and hotels. There are also popular destinations like the Walt Disney World theme park, and amazing state parks. Younger tourists can hit the local bars and restaurants, and for the romantically inclined, there are little islands for the perfect getaway. Because Florida is beautiful both progressively and naturally, it creates the perfect balance of the island escape, the city life and everything else in between. It is the best of both worlds.
To learn more about what Florida has to offer, read the Florida Domicile Handbook.
