FLORIDA - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is brushing off concerns about a reported decline in Canadian tourism, saying the Sunshine State remains a top destination for visitors from the north.
During a recent event in Orlando with the Florida Realtors association, DeSantis shared a personal story to counter claims that Canadians are avoiding Florida due to political tensions.
DeSantis described a spring break trip with his family to Legoland in Winter Haven, where he said a majority of the visitors who approached him were Canadian.
“I kept hearing how Canadians weren’t coming to Florida anymore,” he said, “but 80 percent of the people coming up to me were from Canada, telling me how much they love it here.”
The governor reiterated that Florida remains a leading tourist hotspot, a point he echoed again while speaking at the state Capitol.
His comments come amid reports that bookings for flights from Canada to South Florida are down about 20 percent compared to last year.
Tourism research firm Tourism Economics also revised its forecast, now expecting a 5.1% drop in U.S. travel instead of previous estimates of nearly 9% growth.
Despite concerns, data shows roughly 3.27 million Canadians visited Florida in 2024, a slight 1.2% increase over 2023, though still down 20% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Canadians typically make up about a quarter of all international visitors to the state.
Visit Florida is expected to release updated tourism data for 2025 later this spring.
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