South Florida becoming convention Mecca
Almost a third of the tourism business in South Florida now involves group travel, say travel officials.
“South Florida has grown from being an almost exclusive leisure destination to one that counts meeting and conventions as major parts of its booming tourist sector,” reported the South Florida Business Journal.
Each of South Florida’s three counties has at least one major convention center.
Miami Beach with 1.1 million square feet has the largest convention center in South Florida. But Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County’s Convention Center has 600,000 square feet.
The James L. Knight Center in Miami adds another 100,000 square feet of meeting space.
Palm Beach County’s Convention Center is the most recent one in the area. It opened in late 2003 with 350,000 square feet, making it the largest facility of its kind in the county.
Report by David Wilkening
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