A record 126.1 million tourists visited Florida in 2019, up 6.2 percent from 118.8 million visitors in 2018. The Department of Economic Opportunity estimates that as of February 2021, 1.3 million of the 9.1 million people employed in Florida have jobs related to the tourism industry4 that contribute $85.9 billion to the state’s GDP.
Florida is known for its miles of sandy beaches and crystal clear waters.Visitors from around the world are drawn to the state’s 2,200 miles of coastline and 663 miles of beaches. More than 25% of all visitors indicated that relaxing on the beach and waterfront is the top activity in Florida.
Home to eight of the top 20 theme parks in North America and three of the top 20 water parks in the world, Florida welcomes millions of families to its amusement and theme parks each year. In 2019, nearly 75 million people visited the Orlando area, where most of these parks are concentrated and where thousands of Florida residents work. Walt Disney World is the largest individual employer in the country, spending more than $2.7 billion on payroll in 2018 for 75,000 employees.
According to Cruise Lines International Association’s 2020 Cruise Lines Study, Florida’s cruise industry generated 12.4 million passenger and crew visits, accounting for nearly 50 percent of all passenger and crew visits in the United States. Passenger and crew spending on land totaled just over $1.2 billion. Total passenger and crew spending in Florida in 2019 increased 15 percent over 2017.
