Florida’s international tourism rebound is gaining momentum, and for travel advisors, that means fresh selling opportunities. New figures from Florida Huddle reveal which markets are driving demand—and where travelers want to go once they arrive, often beyond Florida’s best-known cities.
Those numbers, shared at this year’s Florida Huddle in Orlando, show strong growth in inbound travel. In 2025, the Sunshine State welcomed 12 million international visitors—this includes Canada and Mexico—and 9.3 million overseas travelers.
That number reflects a 95 percent recovery from 2019, which saw 9.8 million travelers heading to Florida from overseas. December proved to be the most popular month of the year for those visiting from abroad, with the state welcoming 1.02 million overseas travelers.
Breaking that down by source market, the top five overseas countries in 2025 were, in order, Brazil, UK, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina. The UK was the only European country in the top five, as Germany, France and Spain hit the #6, #7 and #8 spots, respectively, with The Bahamas coming in at #9 and Ecuador taking the #10 spot.
Survey insights also shed light on where these travelers hope to go once in Florida. When UK travelers were asked where they would visit should they travel to Florida, Orlando/Kissimmee came in on top, followed by Miami, Palm Beach, the Florida Keys and Tampa/St. Pete. When Brazilians were asked the same question, the order was essentially reversed, with Miami ranking first, followed by Orlando/Kissimmee, then Palm Beach, the Florida Keys and Tampa/St. Pete.
While these preferences reinforce the drawing power of Florida’s best-known destinations, they also highlight an ongoing challenge for the state’s tourism strategy.
Exploring Beyond the Marquee Destinations
Even as Florida’s marquee destinations remain top of mind for travelers, Visit Florida’s new President & CEO, Bryan Griffin, is focused on driving more geographic dispersion across the state, whether it’s an international visitor or a domestic one. “It has been our goal to make sure that there’s more to see, especially return visitors,” he says. “Florida’s got all these different regions, and each region has something different.”
“Obviously, our gateways get a ton of traffic and we’re glad for that. Orlando and Miami are important and those are often like the foundations of a trip to Florida, but we at Visit Florida, part of our mission, is to move people [beyond those destinations]. So, one thing that I’m asking travel advisors, is to encourage your clients to have a couple days on the end of their trip where they can get out of the city, that they have their plans in to explore.
“It’s very easy to get around [the state],” he adds. “You can rent a car, you can jump on the Brightline, you can take a regional flight to the Panhandle and see some of the amazing stuff we have up there. Come over to the west coast of Florida where the seafood is amazing. We’ve got over 15,000 miles in hiking trails in Florida. Do you know there are caves in Florida; that you can go ziplining? One of my favorite parts of Florida are the small city Main Streets. I love them. You have to jump in a car and you have to be open and just kind of go from one spot to the next. They’ve got really neat stores, great restaurants, local breweries, museums and historical sites.”
Orlando’s role as a gateway destination was on display as host of this year’s Florida Huddle, the Sunshine State’s Official Travel Trade Show, and next year will see its neighbor, Kissimmee, doing the honors.
More insights from our conversation with Griffin will be shared in an upcoming Q&A on recommend.com, with further Florida coverage in Recommend’s March/April issue, including a first-hand look at Orlando beyond the theme parks.
