Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced that the Sunshine State broke another tourism record with a 15.5% share of the domestic vacation market in 2024, a 1% increase from last year's mark.
“Florida is the world’s favorite place to visit,” DeSantis said in a press release. “This record tourism is a result of policies that prioritize freedom, public safety, and common sense.”
According to the release, this is the sixth time Florida has broken its tourism record under Gov. DeSantis since he became governor in 2019.
Florida also remained a top vacation spot for Canadian travelers, despite tensions between the United States and Canada around tariffs and President Donald Trump's desire to make the country the 51st state.
President Trump also mocked former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by calling him governor of the Great State of Canada.
Despite all that, Florida saw a 0.5% increase in Canadian air visitation, outperforming the rest of the country, which showed a 2.3% decline in Canadian travel to the United States.
Florida also saw significant jumps from the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Argentina. Overall, the state recorded a 6.5% increase in overseas visitation.
Earlier this year, DeSantis announced that 142.9 million people visited Florida in 2024. The figure was a 1.6% increase from 2023 and shattered that year's record.
Moreover, Florida recorded 33 million visitors in the fourth quarter of 2024, another record for the state. Specifically, nearly 30 million domestic visitors, 2.5 million overseas visitors, and 742,000 Canadian visitors came to the state in Q4.
“Under Governor DeSantis’ bold leadership, Florida’s tourism industry remains world-leading,” Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly previously said. “Tourism in Florida continued to break records in 2024, recovering from a challenging hurricane season, driving economic growth and improving quality of life for Florida’s communities and families.”
