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Florida tourism industry   Tourism makes up one of the largest sectors of Florida's economy, with nearly 1.4 million people employed in the tourism industry in 2016 (a record for the state, surpassing the 1.2 million employment from 2015).[1][2] HistoryThe tourism industry in Florida began in earnest after the completion of the Florida East Coast Railway allowed tourist from wealthy northern cities to easily reach vacation destinations in Florida.[3] The Dixie Highway opened up Florida to automobile-based tourism. This early tourist boom occurred in the context of segregation with major attractions being white only.[4] Forida's first amusement part, Cypress Gardens, opened in 1936.[5] For much of this time Miami competed with Havana, Cuba as the premier winter destination for wealthy North Americans.[3] Many beach towns are popular tourist destinations, particularly during winter and spring break. The spring break tradition brings significant numbers of young tourists to Florida but also created issues for older tourists and locals. Many beach towns and cities have become less welcoming of spring breakers.[6] Twenty-three million tourists visited Florida beaches in 2000, spending $22 billion. The public has a right to beach access under the public trust doctrine, but some areas have access effectively blocked by private owners for a long distance.[7] In 2015, Florida broke the 100-million visitor mark for the first time in state history by hosting a record 105 million visitors.[2][8] The state has set tourism records for eight consecutive years, most recently breaking the 120-million visitor mark for the first time in 2018 with 126.1 million visitors reported.[9] Data released shows 30.9 million visitors coming to the state from October to December 2021, up nearly 60% from the same period in 2020 and topping pre-pandemic levels from the same quarter before the pandemic.[10] Amusement parksAmusement parks, especially in the Greater Orlando area, make up a significant portion of tourism. The Walt Disney World is the most visited vacation resort in the world with more than 58 million visitors annually,[11] consisting of four theme parks, 27 themed resort hotels, nine non-Disney hotels, two water parks, four golf courses and other recreational venues.[12] Other major theme parks in the area include Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa.[13] State parksFlorida's many state parks and protected areas receive a lot of visitors as well with 25.2 million visitors visiting Florida State Parks in 2013.[14] Space tourismTourists also come to Florida to watch rocket launches in person. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex received 1.7 million tourists in 2016.[15] Space related tourism is seen as a way for the state to moderate the booms and busts of the space launch business with a steady source of income.[16] PoliticsFlorida politicians have generally been supportive of the tourism industry, however there has been some conflict between politicians and the industry over social issues including Disney v. DeSantis.[17] Popular cultureSilent film A Florida Enchantment (1914) was one of the first to feature Florida as an exotic vacation destination of the wealthy where traditional northern norms did not necessarily hold, this representation of Florida as a playground or fairytale land would continue.[3] See also
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