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ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida tourism edged higher in the third quarter of 2025, continuing a slow but steady recovery from pandemic-era disruptions.
While domestic and overseas travel showed modest gains, Florida continued to struggle with Canadian tourism.
Canadian travel to Florida has fallen 15.5 percent so far this year, even as overseas visitation rose 4.5 percent.
What we know:
An estimated 34.339 million people visited Florida between July and September, a slight increase from 34.239 million during the same period last year, according to figures released by Visit Florida.
Canadian travel to Florida continued to decline amid ongoing U.S.-Canada tensions. Visit Florida estimated 507,000 Canadians visited during the quarter, down sharply from 597,000 a year earlier and well below the pre-pandemic third-quarter peak of 703,000 in 2019.
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Domestic travelers accounted for the vast majority of the increase, with 31.448 million visitors from other U.S. states, up modestly from a year earlier. Overseas visitation also rose, reaching 2.343 million travelers, the strongest third-quarter showing since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"New data just released from @VisitFlorida shows tourism in Florida for Q3 2025 exceeded Q3 2024," Visit Florida President and CEO Bryan Griffin said in a post on X. "2024 was a record-breaking year for Florida, & tourism saved each of Florida's households an estimated $2,000 in taxes that year. We're looking forward to a strong 2026."
The backstory:
The third quarter is typically one of Florida’s slower tourism periods because of the summer heat and hurricane season.
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The state last saw stronger third-quarter numbers in 2022, when aggressive marketing campaigns targeted domestic travelers amid lingering pandemic concerns. International travel, particularly from overseas markets, has taken longer to rebound and only recently approached pre-pandemic levels.
What we don’t know:
It remains unclear whether Florida’s overall tourism growth will accelerate in the final months of 2025. Early indicators suggest the downturn in Canadian travel is continuing into the fourth quarter, but Visit Florida has not yet released updated figures showing whether holiday travel or winter bookings could offset those losses.
Timeline:
From January through September 2025, Florida recorded 109.782 million visitors, a 0.1 percent increase from the same period in 2024. The decline in Canadian travel coincided with escalating trade tensions and rhetoric between the U.S. and Canada, trends that intensified as the fourth quarter began.
What’s next:
Gov. Ron DeSantis has recommended maintaining $80 million in annual funding for Visit Florida in the upcoming 2026–2027 fiscal year. State lawmakers are expected to weigh the request when the legislative session begins Jan. 13.
The Source: This story was written based on reporting by the News Service of Florida.
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