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Florida tourist arrivals at lowest level for a decade
Florida saw tourist numbers drop by a third to its lowest level for a decade.
Florida received 86 million travelers last year, a big drop from the record 131 million in 2019.
It is the first year since 2015 the Sunshine State has welcomed less than 100 million visitors.
However, 2020 ended well with more than 20 million travelers coming in the fourth quarter, which exceeded forecasts.
It is based on Visit Florida’s preliminary data which could be subject to wide revisions when all the data is analyzed.
"Due to the unprecedented nature of the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact, the numbers provided are likely to face larger-than-normal revisions," the agency said.
"Many of Florida’s top origin markets were under stricter travel restrictions in Q4 than the previous quarter, but thanks to our advertising in the Southeast, visitation from those states remains strong," Visit Florida CEO Dana Young said in a statement.
"Visit Florida’s marketing has been integral to Florida’s economic recovery and will continue to propel our tourism industry forward in 2021."
Written by Ray Montgomery, US Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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