Miami-Dade County welcomed more than 26.5 million visitors last year, generating more than $20.8 billion, an 8% increase in tourism revenue in 2021.

The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau said in its 2022 Visitor Industry Overview report that last year the county received a total of 26.5 million visitors, of which 19.2 million were for overnight stays and 7.3 million were for day-time visits.

According to the report, overnight visits are expected to increase by 20% from 2021, and daytime visits will decline by 12%, which is comparable to 2019 figures. In addition, last year nearly 300,000 more visitors came from Florida to places like Orlando, Tampa/St. Petersburg, and Palm Beach.

More than 17.1 million hotel room nights are expected to be sold in 2022, up 12.7% from 2021, while hotel daily rates are expected to increase by nearly 14% over 12 months. Gross hotel revenue increased 29% with record high hotel room rates.

Similarly, hotel occupancy is projected to rise 8% to 72.1% by the end of the year in 2022, the report said, despite new hotel room inventory. Miami-Dade has the fifth highest occupancy rate in the nation after Hawaii, New York, Orlando, and San Diego.

The average daily rate rose 14% to $253.11. “The biggest gains in hotel revenue were among mid- to upper-tier hotels,” the report said.
The international overnight visitor market is set to grow by 2.7% in 2022, after most travel restrictions are lifted by the end of 2021.

International visitors account for 25% of the total overnight market, with 4.7 million visitors, and contribute 29% of tourism expenditure. According to the bureau, Colombia was the leading international market for the second year in a row with 432,000 visitors.

Overnight visitors to Greater Miami and Miami Beach include 10.4 million domestic visitors, 4.7 million international visitors, and 4.1 million visitors from Florida. Of the “day trippers”, 2.4 million were domestic travelers, 1.1 million international and 3.8 million were Florida residents, the report said.

According to the report, the majority of domestic overnight visitors came from the Northeast and Midwest in 2022, with New York being the top state from which visitors came. In 2021, most US visitors came from the southern states.

Last year most international visitors came from South America, Central America and the Caribbean, with Colombia in the top spot, followed by Brazil, Canada and Mexico.

“Canadians were returning in numbers equal to pre-pandemic levels,” the report said. “Brazilians, despite several travel-related constraints, rose to the No. 2 ranking of top international overnight visitor markets. Both the United Kingdom and Spain, which were largely absent in 2021, are back in effect and ranked No. 5 and No. Ranked among the 6 top international overnight markets.

According to a Bureau survey, travel for leisure and pleasure was chosen as the reasons 73% would travel to the destination in 2022, as did 18% of visitors to Greater Miami to visit friends, 16% visited relatives, 15% for business, 10% for cruises, and only 2% for meetings and conferences.

The report noted that Miami Beach, Downtown Miami and Brickell, and North Dade were the top accommodation destinations visitors chose. The most visited neighborhoods were Miami Beach, which comprised half the tourism, Downtown Miami and Brickell, and South Dade, Aventura and Wynwood.

Lincoln Road, the Miami Seaquarium and Wynwood Walls were the top attractions visited in 2022, in addition to the beaches, which were visited by 49% of visitors, according to the report. Other places of interest for Florida resident overnight visitors include Bayside Marketplace, the Art Deco District and CocoWalk in 2022.

David Whitaker, bureau president and CEO, said in a statement: “Tourism drives job growth and economic vitality, resulting in visitor taxes supporting everything from arts and culture to healthcare and transportation. benefits from the quality of

In 2022, domestic travelers will spend $11.4 billion, up 16% from 2021; International travelers spent $6.1 billion, down 7% from 2021; And Florida residents spent $3.4 billion, up 14% from the previous year.

“The return of the international visitor has been critical to the success of our destination,” Bureau Board President Bruce Oroz said in a press release.

“with reactivation [bureau] With an international office network spanning 50 cities in 53 countries, we have mobilized significant resources to promote international travel to Greater Miami and Miami Beach.