Greater Miami welcomed an extra million visitors in 2015, for a best-ever total of 15.5 million overnight stays.
Greater Miami and The Beaches also recorded a record tourism spend of $24.4 billion.
The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau touted its success in marketing in New York, a market that is now worth $2 billion a year.
"More than a year ago, the GMCVB launched the ‘It’s So Miami’ neighborhood-centric marketing campaign aimed at extending the visitors’ stay as part of an economic impact strategy. Today, we announce New York as the first-ever $2 billion dollar market alongside strong billion dollar international markets of Brazil and Colombia," says GMCVB CEO William D. Talbert, III.
"More visitors are staying longer and fueling record-breaking economic impact numbers thanks to GMCVB efforts. In addition, we grew the European market by 5.9 percent and grew the Latin American market by three percent despite the strength of the dollar against the euro and Latin American currencies.
The CVB said 96% of visitors arrived by air and there was a 7.2% increase in visitation from emerging markets in Asia, the Middle East and Australia.
"Experiential travel such as dining, attractions and sports activities were up in 2015, putting Miami on the map as the global traveler continues to seek experiences such as dining and attractions as a way to explore diverse neighborhoods, now being showcased by our newly established multicultural tourism department," said GMCVB chairman Bruce Orosz.
