Florida experienced a record number of visitors in 2017, according to a report released this week by VisitFlorida.
The report, prepared by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, said 116.5 million visitors came to the state in 2017, a 3.6% increase from 2016.
The record was achieved despite a slight slump in September due to Hurricane Irma, when visitations dropped by 1.8 million compared with the previous September. Numbers bounced back in October and the following months to exceed expectations. Hotel rooms sold in the last quarter of 2017 grew by 4.6% compared with the last quarter of 2016.
Overseas travel declined in 2016, and that trend continued in 2017, as numbers were down 4.3%. The bulk of the visitors to Florida were domestic, numbering 102.3 million. Canadian and domestic travel grew 4% 4.5%, respectively, making up for the downward trend in overseas travel.