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Travel Daily News
4 days ago
- Business
- Travel Daily News
GMCVB report: Record number of visitors in 2024
Greater Miami broke records with 28 million visitors in 2024, generating $22 billion in spending and supporting 209,000 tourism-related jobs. Marking a new record number of visitors in the last year, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) emphasised the high-performing visitor economy and communicated the benefits of tourism in Miami-Dade County at its annual State of the Travel & Tourism Industry event. More than 600 attendees, including GMCVB industry partners, government officials and community leaders, gathered at Jungle Island to celebrate Greater Miami and Miami Beach's robust tourism ecosystem and one of the destination's main economic drivers. Miami-Dade County experienced sustained tourism growth in 2024, attracting over 28 million visitors – the highest number ever recorded in a single year. These visitors spent $22 billion in the destination, generating $2.2 billion in local and state tax revenues. With more than 209,000 tourism-supported jobs in Miami-Dade, the industry now supports more people than ever before. In 2024, the county led the state of Florida in occupancy. In the top 25 U.S. hotel markets, the destination also ranked fourth nationally in hotel occupancy and third in the average daily room rate metric, reflecting strong tourism demand. Domestic and international visitors also frequented Greater Miami and Miami Beach in higher numbers than in 2023, improving by 2 percent and 4 percent respectively and spent more in 2024, by 3 percent and 5 percent. Julissa Kepner, GMCVB board chair, noted, 'Our visitors have travelled here in greater numbers and their additional spending benefits us all. This should drive home the importance that tourism isn't just a local priority – it's the engine propelling Miami-Dade County onto the world stage as a model for economic prosperity and exceptional resident quality of life. Miami-Dade's tourism industry is driven by momentum, innovation and a global outlook. Our continued success depends on bold marketing, diverse and elevated offerings, a deep commitment to sustainability and the celebration of our diverse cultural assets.' Key drivers of tourism business – above and beyond leisure travel – remain the meetings and conventions sector as well as major events. The recent groundbreaking of the 800-room Grand Hyatt Miami Beach convention center hotel, set to open in 2027, will further boost the destination's ability to attract premier global events, business meetings, trade shows and conventions. A new live webcam offers real-time visuals of the property's construction, creating excitement among planners and reinforcing the destination's readiness for large-scale events. 'Tourism and hospitality are the lifeblood of Miami-Dade County. Our industry works tirelessly to ensure that Greater Miami and Miami Beach remains a top global travel destination while celebrating our unique neighbourhoods and creating programmes that welcome all visitors,' shared GMCVB President and CEO David Whitaker. 'Our residents and businesses benefited from more than $31 billion in economic impact – 9% of Miami-Dade's GDP – in the last year. This growth marks a 5% increase from 2023 and is a testament to the strength and success of the industry's efforts to attract travellers.' Continuing in 2025, Miami-Dade County grew in hotel room demand, with most weeks showing growth over the same period the previous year. A snapshot of the first four months indicates that Greater Miami and Miami Beach properties – among the top 25 U.S. hotel markets – rank number one in occupancy in revenue per available room and second in the country in average daily room rates. Innovative GMCVB programmes helped support the industry's strong yearly performance and set the outlook for the year ahead. Here are some notable FY 2024 highlights: Among three of Miami-Dade County's leading overnight international travel markets, Colombia, Brazil and the United Kingdom continue to show year-over-year gains of 8, 12 and 10 percent respectively. The convention sales team secured 16 new Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) convention bookings surpassing its goal of 15. These events accounted for 65,000 attendees with 107,604 room nights sold. The estimated economic impact of these 16 bookings was more than $131 million. In fact, nine new bookings have been secured totalling 62,000 attendees with 46,978 room nights sold and an economic impact of more than $95 million. Marketing team highlights included a strategy that led to social media growth and the rollout of the Creator Collective, a content engine powered by diverse local storytellers producing owned content across key platforms. This contributed to @VisitMiami becoming the fastest-growing destination marketing organisation Instagram channel, driving record engagement and reach. The ability to expand digital mapping of neighbourhoods through Miami-Dade County's municipalities on and Share of Voice efforts have lifted visibility of municipal tourism partners across social and public relations channels further showcasing the extent of Miami-Dade County visitor experiences. In 2025, the famed Miami Spice programme debuts a refreshed brand appearance aligning with Greater Miami and Miami Beach's rising profile as a Michelin-recognised culinary destination. This campaign will feature influencer partnerships and enhanced content creation designed to maximise engagement and participation. Key developmentsin sustainability and accessibility included efforts to certify local hotels to adopt internationally recognised sustainability standards in partnership with Green Key Global. With 71 hotels currently in the certification pipeline, this amplifies the importance of the destination to cater to visitors who enjoy environmentally responsible accommodations. In collaboration with Wheel the World, an accessible travel provider, and our tourism partners, Greater Miami and Miami Beach has set a goal to be 'Destination Verified,' making it easier for travellers with disabilities to plan accessible experiences. A new campaign, 'It's Where You Belong,' an extension of the GMCVB's 'Find Your Miami' initiative will soon showcase accessible destination attributes. Alongside its partner, the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), the GMCVB continued to engage hospitality and tourism partners to become Certified Autism Centers, ensuring that a nurturing and supportive environment is created for neurodivergent travellers and their families. In April 2025, the Autism Adventure Guide just featured the GMCVB and the MBCC as Certified Autism Center designated organisations. The Multicultural Tourism & Development Department has supported 147 small businesses over the last year through the Tourism Business Enhancement programme strengthening the capacity and long-term viability of multicultural and heritage-based businesses throughout Miami-Dade County's tourism economy. The Art of Black Miami year-round initiative featured more than 66 activations during Art Week – more than 266 percent since it began – underscoring a decade of cultural impact and artistic excellence. The programme has expanded its neighbourhood footprint from 10 to 14 communities, accounting for a 40 percent increase in geographic representation in Miami-Dade County. Earlier this month, the BHI, the GMCVB's scholarship and talent development arm, raised a record $250,000 in scholarship funds to provide the next generation of hospitality and tourism students opportunities to pursue careers in Miami-Dade's leading economic sector. A few of the key events contributing to the visitor industry's success included Calle Ocho Music Festival, Latin GRAMMYs, Winter Party Festival, Miami Carnival, the Orange Blossom Classic, Jazz in the Gardens Music Festival, Art Basel Miami Beach, Formula One Miami Grand Prix, the Capital One Orange Bowl and others. In 2026, several large sporting events will play a major role in raising the profile of the destination including the College Football Playoff National Championship, NHL Winter Classic, World Baseball Classic, FIFA World Cup and NASCAR Championship Race.
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
South Australian tourism industry on track for 2030 economic plan
South Australia's tourism industry is one of the state's most dynamic and rapidly growing sectors, pumping $9.8 billion into the state's economy in 2024 – and setting its sights even higher. With a new Tourism Plan 2030 on the horizon, the sector is gearing up to reach a record $12.8 billion by the end of the decade. After a rapid recovery of almost 10,000 new jobs in 2023, the visitor economy now employs 41,600 jobs statewide. Tourism's benefits are shared across the state, with regional South Australia seeing visitor spend peaking at $4.7 billion, continuing to play a vital role in supporting local economies. Interstate visitors reached a record $3.7 billion in expenditure in the most recent data to December 2024, while international visitors are returning strongly, with spend reaching a record $1.3 billion. 'There is real energy and momentum in our state in terms of its visitor economy,' South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) chief executive Emma Terry says. 'In recent years, South Australia has seen remarkable growth – new luxury accommodation, vibrant festivals and direct international connections are elevating the visitor experience.' South Australia has also seen a rise in hosting national forums. The Qantas Australian Tourism Awards held their 40th anniversary at the Convention Centre in March, while the Adelaide Oval hosted the 2025 Asia Pacific Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition in May, bringing 1600 stakeholders to the South Australian capital from across the Asia Pacific region. In 2026, the Convention Centre will host the Australian Tourism Exchange, bringing together 2500 delegates from across the country. 'ATE26 will be a showcase of South Australia's creativity, culture, and collaborative spirit,' Terry says. 'Hosting the event in Adelaide is a tremendous opportunity to share South Australia's story with the world's most influential travel buyers and media. We definitely have the spotlight on our state.' The Visitor Economy Sector Plan is being updated following engagement with more than 400 members of the tourism industry across all 12 South Australian regions. 'We wanted to make sure the plan still reflects the needs and aspirations of operators, local businesses and communities across the state,' Terry says. 'We see positioning the state as all of South Australia. There is strength in the entire offering. We know people enjoy spending time in Adelaide, but there are great opportunities out in our regions. Kangaroo Island and the Barossa are well regarded internationally, but lots of visitors travel into the Eyre Peninsula and head up into the Flinders Ranges and Outback. 'Including with our portion of the Murray River, we have a lot of opportunities that suit different market segments. That's the beauty of our state – being able to tap into each one of those and direct the right audiences to them. We want to continue to build on that in this plan and into the future.' The Plan will focus on three enduring pillars of South Australia's tourism appeal: nature, food, wine and drink, and events and festivals. 'We are affectionately known as the Festival State,' Terry says. 'We are well regarded for our events and festivals, both existing and some of the new ones like LIV Golf and Gather Round that have got the attention of the nation. 'Also, our own brand research shows we are regarded No.1 in Australia for our food and wine. 'There's a great opportunity to build that out. But one area we aren't as well known for – but have great opportunity in – is our nature. 'When you think about our wonderful coastlines and peninsulas, the hills and our Outback – they're all in close proximity. That's an area we want to build out in this iteration of the Plan over the next few years and make more of our natural icons.' SATC is also working on a winter marketing campaign to encourage South Australians to experience the beauty of the regions during this time and support local economies. 'We want South Australia to be seen as a place of authentic moments, with real hospitality, creativity and natural wonder – a destination where every visitor feels welcome,' Terry says. Log on here to learn more about the simple pleasures of South Australia. Spotlight shines on SA The very best of South Australia will go on show to the world next year – courtesy of Tourism Australia's largest annual trade event. The 2026 Australian Tourism Exchange will be held in Adelaide in May, bringing more than 2500 industry delegates from around Australia and the world to learn first-hand about what SA has to offer. The four-day conference will inject an estimated $14 million into the local economy – in the short term – and deliver further far-reaching benefits as delegates from 32 countries spread the word about SA's appeal as a holiday destination. Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison describes the showcase – which will be hosted in partnership with the South Australian Tourism Commission at the Adelaide Convention Centre from May 10 to 14, 2026 – as 'an incredible opportunity' for SA. 'It's our largest annual trade event,' she says. 'It's a chance for the tourism industry to get in touch with key tourism decision-makers from around the world and talk about all things Australian for four days.' Adelaide last hosted the conference in 2018, and was announced as the host of ATE26 at this year's event in Brisbane, which attracted 2800 delegates. 'The trade show is just going from strength to strength and getting bigger every single year so I do think there will be similar delegate numbers (in Adelaide),' Harrison says. 'It's an incredible opportunity for South Australia. I think it does sort of supercharge the global understanding of South Australia as an incredible tourism destination – so we're really excited to be bringing it to Adelaide. 'It's a national show we move around the country but there is a real benefit for being the host state. There's an immediate benefit – the event itself injects around $14 million to the host destination, with all of the delegates, all of the spend and the food and drink consumed at the many, many events that go on in and around it.' Harrison says the longer-term advantage comes from conference delegates spending 'at least four days in and around Adelaide' and participating in various familiarisation programs. 'It's a huge long-term boost to the visitor economy. We get people over for the four business days – the trade show – but then we also get them out to experience different parts of Australia,' she says. 'And I know that last time that Adelaide hosted ATE, I think about 700 of those buyers went out and enjoyed various experiences around South Australia.' Harrison says South Australia and Adelaide 'has an incredible story' to share at what is essentially a 'show and tell for the world'. 'We often say in tourism that it's much more important to show and not tell people how great Australia is – and this week is a real proof point,' she says. 'Everybody knows Kangaroo Island, for example, so ATE not only reminds them of it, but also shows them what might be new and different on the island.' Harrison says South Australia's food and wine will again also feature prominently. For more details log on to Soaking up the SA experience A 'fork in the road' decision to swap the western suburbs of Melbourne for the rolling vineyards of South Australia's Coonawarra continues to pay off for Simon and Kerry Meares. The couple's 2017 vine change saw them leap head-first into the tourism industry, with the establishment in Penola of accommodation and tour business Coonawarra Experiences allowing them to share their long-standing love of the area with others. The pair offer personally-tailored packages highlighting the 'simple pleasures' of the Limestone Coast – from local wineries through to Indigenous tours and natural attractions. 'Our backgrounds were nothing to do with tourism whatsoever,' Simon Meares, a former sales/IT professional, says. 'We'd been visiting the region for probably 10 or so years beforehand just to enjoy the wine and the various festivals and events here. 'We'd been talking about running our own business, and bemoaning the fact there really wasn't anybody doing or offering the service that we're offering now. 'We loved the area and knew a lot of the operators so it seemed like a natural progression. So we sold our home in Footscray and moved across in 2017.' During the ensuing eight years, the couple worked their way through the pandemic-related turmoil – where they relied exclusively on domestic visitors – through to a point where international and interstate tourists today make up almost 60 per cent of their clientele.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
New Sussex tourism board aims to boost sector by £2.5bn
Tourism officials across Sussex are coming together to try and boost revenue in the sector by £2.5bn a year over the next East Sussex, Brighton and Hove and West Sussex Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) has appointment an advisory board to support the growth of the region's visitor tourism sector contributes £5bn annually to the region and supports more than 74,000 local jobs - which is 14% of all Roberts, interim chair of the advisory board, said: "Our collective ambition is to elevate Sussex as a leading destination, driving regenerative growth, celebrating our unique assets and ensuring the visitor economy benefits communities right across the region." The newly-appointed advisory board members include staff from Brighton Pier, South Downs National Park and private sector board members will join senior representatives from East Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council and West Sussex County Council, alongside two chief executives from local district and borough councils. Experience Sussex, VisitBrighton and a rotating representative from the LVEP's destination forum will also take part in Wall, lead cabinet member for economy and skills at West Sussex County Council, said: "It's a strong step towards our wider economic goals, positioning the region as a great place to live, work and invest, creating opportunities for residents and businesses alike." Despite welcoming the initiative, Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce CEO Christina Ewbank was concerned the board could swallow groups with a local focus."It needs to be certain that it spreads itself all across to Rye and up to Crowborough, taking in Eastbourne, and we mustn't lose what VisitEastbourne has achieved," she Ewbank added: "It just would be a shame to lose that identity."
Travel Daily News
22-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Experience Oxfordshire survey shows complex business landscape
Oxfordshire's visitor economy shows growth in 2024, but rising costs, cautious investment, and changing consumer behavior challenge long-term sustainability and staffing levels. As businesses get ready to make the most of the schools' half-term holiday and approaching summer season, a recent survey from the county's Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) and destination management organisation, Experience Oxfordshire, indicates a sector balancing a range of issues impacting on its sustainable growth. This years' Experience Oxfordshire Business Survey shows a complex picture. The majority of respondents, 75%, said that overall business performance had improved in 2024, (a 5% drop in positivity, however, when compared to the previous year's survey) with 68% reporting an increase in visitor numbers but 20% of operators seeing a drop when compared to 2023. Although 27% were cautious or concerned regarding business performance in the current year, 70% of respondents are expecting their business to perform well. 65% of respondents said that the current state of the UK economy is impacting negatively on their business, with a further 30% saying it was neither helping nor hindering. In particular businesses expressed concern about consumers with less disposable income and their own increased operating costs. Businesses have taken steps to mitigate the latter by increasing their prices, delaying investment, building or maintenance works and seeking additional income through diversification. 27% have reduced staffing levels which is a distinct change in circumstances from recent years when difficulties with staff recruitment and retention were a major cause for concern, affecting 41% of respondents in 2024 but this year only stated as an issue by 3%. Consumer booking behaviours established during the global pandemic are now standard with 50% of businesses stating that the current lead in time was under four weeks (a further 14% of businesses seeing the majority of their bookings made within seven days of arrival) and over half of businesses saying that over 75% of visitors pre-book products and experiences. When asked which interventions would help their business development unsurprisingly operators looked for a reduction in VAT, business rates, national insurance and the provision of sector specific development grants. At destination level, as in previous years, there was strong support for investment in marketing, use of marketing platforms to build relationships with visitors to encourage repeat trips and the benefit of high-quality, year-round experiences to be enjoyed by visitors and the local community. In recent years Experience Oxfordshire has demonstrated the effectiveness of such investment. Its recent Only in Oxfordshire campaign engaged with over 34 million individuals, generating some 750 thousand views of videos featuring inspirational Oxfordshire content. Hayley Beer-Gamage, CEO of Experience Oxfordshire commented: 'Our annual survey gives us the opportunity to gather information from a cross-section of businesses operating within the county's visitor economy and these results underline the key challenges facing these businesses today. Despite the fact that many saw an increase in visitor numbers and business performance last year, there is still widespread concern relating to rising operating costs. The measures being put in place to balance the books include a pause on investment, a trend we have seen for the last three years, and a worrying reduction in staffing levels. If continued longer term, these trends can lead to a decrease in customer satisfaction and enjoyment. Oxfordshire has more to offer visitors than many destinations, and this benefits us by attracting both domestic and international visitors. The global tourism marketplace, however, is highly competitive so it's essential that, despite the difficult operating environment, businesses maintain high standards of visitor welcome and experience. Experience Oxfordshire works with some 200 partners spanning the county's visitor economy and we know the excellent quality of experience on offer here. As VisitBritain's marketing partner we will be using all opportunities available to us this year to encourage key influencers at home and overseas to include Oxfordshire in their tour programmes, conference schedules and travel communications.' Oxfordshire's visitor economy is responsible for the employment of 10% of the local workforce, with 28.4 million visits to the county generating some £2.3 billion for the local economy. Experience Oxfordshire works with the media, travel trade and conference/event agencies within the UK and in key international markets to promote Oxfordshire and raise its profile as a great place to visit, work, live and do business with. It is the accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for Oxfordshire and as such is the national tourism agencies VisitBritain / VisitEngland's go-to body for all matters relating to tourism development and delivery in the county.
