Several Latin American countries are among the main tourist source markets of Florida. In December 2021, 13% more Latin American travelers will arrive in Miami than in December 2019, according to a confirmed airline tickets analysis conducted by ForwardKeys.
The Miami airport, as well as the rest of the U.S. destinations, is recovering international passengers flow after the changes in the border policy adopted by the Joe Biden administration in November which allowed access from countries that were once banned, especially Europeans.
Although in December Miami will still be 4% below the international arrivals of December 2019 – before the pandemic – the accelerated growth of a number of tourists from Latin America (13%) shows the renewed interest in traveling to the U.S. from these countries.
Miami – and Florida – Is the number one destination in the U.S. for travelers from Argentina and Colombia, according to data from the promotional agency “Visit Florida” – as well as the second most visited destination for Chileans, Ecuadorians and Peruvians.
In the third quarter of 2021, the number of tourists from Colombia arriving to the state of Florida increased by 14% compared to the same period of 2019 and not only placed that country as the third-largest international outbound market to the state, but also accounted for 73% of the total Colombian travelers to the U.S., a notable increase compared to 65% in 2019.
Argentina, meanwhile, ranks 7th among international tourist source markets with a 74.3% market share in 2020-2021, higher than the 63.2% in 2019.
This means that three out of four Argentinians who traveled to the U.S. visited a destination in Florida.
Chile is ranked 8th among international source markets with a 50.7% market share in 2019.
"In the last three years, Florida was the most visited state in the United States by Argentinians and the second most visited by Chileans. In both markets, Florida continues to be a top destination in travel intentions to the U.S.," says Visit Florida agency.
Dana Young, president and CEO of Visit Florida, said the promotion agency is strengthening its presence in the main markets of South America "to consolidate Florida as the number 1 travel destination in the world".
Ecuador, which has reopened its connectivity with Miami and Orlando in 2021, is the sixth most important source market for Florida. And Peru ranks 13th.
For the past three years, Florida has been the second most visited U.S. destination for travelers from Ecuador and Peru and remains one of the top destinations for future travel.
According to Visit Florida, tourism was responsible for 79.8 million visitors in 2020, less than the 131.4 million visitors of 2019, this decrease is attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the latest economic impact study, visitors to Florida contributed $96.5 billion to Florida's economy and supported 1.6 million Florida jobs in 2019. According to the Bureau of Economic and Demographic Research, for every $1 the state invests in Visit Florida, Florida's official tourism marketing corporation generates $3.27 in tax revenue.