Tourist count fell 10.7% in first quarter, but number may be low
TALLAHASSEE — The number of Florida tourists fell 10.7% in the first quarter of 2020 from the same period a year earlier, a number that state estimators conceded might be too optimistic because of the effects of the coronavirus.
The final month of the quarter, March, was slammed by the pandemic, which essentially shut down the theme parks and the rest of the hospitality industry statewide. A report posted online by Visit Florida, the state’s tourism-marketing arm, said “data previously used to estimate Florida visitation may not paint the full picture during COVID-19.”
The report estimates that 31.95 million people visited the state during the first three months of the year. That compares to 35.79 million visitors during the first quarter of 2019.
Visit Florida also has pointed to potential longterm effects of the coronavirus on the tourism industry, saying people are expected to initially prefer short drives rather than long flights as they look to travel. Also, the report said the virus is expected to have a major impact on people flying in and out of the state, which provides key data for quarterly tourism estimates.
“In many ways, COVID-19 has the potential to impact consumer behavior for years to come,” said the report, dated May 15.
Passengers getting on board planes at 19 Florida airports in the quarter decreased 11.6 percent compared to 2019, the report said. And hotels, despite strong performance in January and February, ended the quarter with the number of hotel rooms sold down 13.2 percent.
The second quarter
is expected to be much worse, as unemployment ballooned nationwide, and many businesses were closed or scaled back throughout April and May.
But Florida’s hospitality industry, including hotels and restaurants, last month began easing back into operations. Beaches have opened, along with vacation rentals in most counties.
Also, major tourist destinations, which closed in mid-March, are slowly reopening with new physical-distancing rules in place for workers and guests.
Universal Orlando is opening certain hotels Tuesday, with its theme parks welcoming guests on Friday.
SeaWorld is expected to reopen on June 11. Disney is set to open the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on July 11 and reopen Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15.