“Travel is still kicking,” is how the February update from the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau begins. “Very much so,” it adds.
The optimism comes as the tourism industry has been faced with the impact of stronger-than-comfortable inflation, a softening job market, and strained international relations between the U.S. and some countries that are key sources of South Florida visitors, particularly Canada.
Hotel rates and revenues both grew up double digits in January compared to a year earlier. The average room cost almost $280 a night last month in Miami-Dade County — second only to San Francisco. The highest rates were in Bal Harbour, Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne and Miami Beach.
More than eight out of every 10 hotel rooms in Miami-Dade county were occupied last month. That was the highest occupancy rate in the nation among the largest 25 metropolitan areas, according to the bureau’s data.
“People continue to prioritize experiences over stuff,” the bureau wrote in its monthly update.
More than 350,000 jobs were tied directly to the tourism sector in South Florida in December, the latest month for which data is available. That represented a small decrease from a year earlier. About 40% of the leisure and hospitality jobs are concentrated in Miami-Dade County.
Last year showed signs of slowing for the sector. Total passenger arrivals dropped 8.5% at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and down 1% at Miami International Airport. Passenger traffic at Palm Beach International Airport was up 3%.
“February has been a little softer,” noted the Miami visitors bureau, citing arrivals at MIA. The regional airports haven’t yet released their official monthly traffic reports.
Port Canaveral eclipsed PortMiami earlier last year as the busiest cruise port in the world with over 8.6 million passengers, about 40,000 fewer people. Both Miami and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale still had record years.
The thick of spring break season is still to come. Miami Beach, which has fought to rebrand itself as a more family-friendly destination, held a news conference Tuesday, Feb. 23, outlining its spring break law enforcement plans. The city has instituted curfews, checkpoints, and higher parking fees in years past in its efforts to crack down on rowdy behavior. Two separate shootings in March 2023 killed two people. No major issues have been experienced in the two spring break periods since then.
The tactics may be working. The local visitors bureau reports hotel bookings for Miami Beach are up 38% from a year ago, helped by an earlier Easter holiday. Those travelers seem to be willing to pay more for accommodations with the average daily rate in Miami Beach topping $640 for rooms between mid-February and mid-April.
Fort Lauderdale also is prepping for a busy spring season, promising more police on the beach and downtown. A busy spring break would help the industry in Broward County rebound from some weaker performance at the end of last year. The area has been popular with Canadian tourists, who have been curtailing their visits.
Statewide, tourism was up slightly in 2025 to a record 143.3 million visitors. The number of Canadian visitors fell to 2.9 million, down 14.7% from a year earlier.
The regional tourism industry also is counting on a strong showing this summer when the FIFA World Cup plays seven matches at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, including four in the initial group stage.
The Colombia versus Portugal and Scotland versus Brazil matches in late June are credited with hotel reservations more than doubling countywide versus last year. Short-term rental reservations like AirBnB and VRBO have skyrocketed more than five times what hosts experienced last June.
AirBnB also announced a $750 incentive to home and condo owners who rent their residences through the platform for the first time during the World Cup.