VISIT FLORIDA announces state welcomed 31.4M travelers
The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce reported on Aug. 19, that VISIT FLORIDA announced preliminary visitation estimates show the state welcomed a total of 31.7 million travelers from April through June, representing an increase of more than 220 percent over the prior year.
Approximately 30.6 million domestic visitors traveled to Florida in the second quarter, reflecting a 216 percent increase from 2020, and a 6 percent increase from 2019. Over the past year, VISIT FLORIDA had several marketing successes that accelerated tourism’s recovery and positioned Florida as a leading destination for travelers across the United States.
Despite ongoing international travel restrictions, preliminary estimates also indicate that 1.1 million overseas visitors came to Florida in the second quarter, an increase of 854 percent from last year. Travel from Canada rose by over 74 percent, with 15,000 travelers visiting the state between April and June.
Additionally, after receiving updated information for quarter one visitation numbers, VISIT FLORIDA estimates that the state welcomed a total of 27.3 million visitors from January to March, slightly more than what was previously reported.
Last fiscal year, VISIT FLORIDA partnered with AAA Northeast on a co-branded, multi-channel campaign promoting the Sunshine State to adults 25 and older in key markets in the northeast U.S. Its $150,000 co-investment in the campaign resulted in over $24.5 million in total bookings, which included $16 million in bookings to Orlando. VISIT FLORIDA’s participation also nearly doubled the impression goal for the campaign, accruing over 43 million impressions among potential travelers.
While air travel was in decline during the pandemic, VISIT FLORIDA partnered with Allegiant Airlines, American Airlines/American Airline Vacations, and United Airlines on three independent campaigns throughout the Midwest and Northeast to keep Florida top of mind and drive bookings when travel resumed. Its $550,000 investment, which was matched at least 1:1, helped deliver nearly $1.2 million in media value and over 156.5 million impressions, exceeding estimates by 47.3 percent.