Florida visitor growth flat

Visit Florida, the state's official tourism marketing corporation, estimates 18.9 million travelers visited Florida between July and September. That number is only 0.6% higher than it was a year ago, but a deeper look at the data shows a pair of offsetting factors, suggesting larger changes may be underway.

Despite the flat overall growth, the state actually saw significant growth in visitors from foreign countries. Visits from overseas countries grew 17.4%, while Canadian visits increased 23%.

But that growth was offset by depressed domestic activity. The number of tourists from other states visiting Florida decreased 1.6% relative to 2009, combining with the growth in foreign tourism to create a picture of little growth overall.

Visit Florida also estimates that the state's tourism-related employment this summer rose about 0.8% relative to the previous year. Monthly hotel occupancy rates also rose roughly 5.1%.