Miami Celebrates Record-High Visitor Growth and Economic Impact

by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 10:30 AM ET, Sat May 13, 2023

Clearly, by its own metrics and its own record-keeping, Greater Miami is on top of its game.

The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) recently hosted its 2023 State of the Tourism and Travel Industry presentation at LoanDepot Park, where the Miami Marlins play their Major League Baseball games. GMCVB said it hosted 26.5 million visitors last year, coming off of COVID-19.

Visitors also generated higher levels of spending─upwards of an estimated $20.8 billion─marking an eight percent increase over 2021.

Meanwhile, more hotel guests meant 17.1 million hotel room nights sold in 2022, signaling an increase of 12.7 percent compared to 2021.

"We strongly believe that these 2022 results can be attributed to our destination’s all-star lineup of attractions, amenities, dining, accommodations and the tireless work of industry partners,” said David Whitaker, president and CEO of the GMCVB, in a statement. "But the numbers by themselves don’t tell the whole story of what sustained success in this industry means. Tourism fuels job growth and economic vitality resulting in quality-of-life benefits as a result of visitor taxes that support everything from arts and culture to healthcare and transportation.”

Miami International Airport (MIA) served more than 50.6 million travelers while expanding with new routes from carriers such as Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines.

Finally, the cruise market saw a surge in guest volume that began in the summer, rebounding to 2019 levels.

"As we navigate the ever-changing landscape of the travel and tourism industry, 2022 serves as a powerful reminder of the appeal of our destination. The return of the international visitor has been key to our destination’s success,” said Bruce Orosz, GMCVB board chair. “With the reactivated GMCVB international office network spanning 50 cities in 53 countries, we’ve galvanized key resources to promote international travel to Greater Miami and Miami Beach. Innovation and collaboration are critical moving forward as we compete among global destinations to remain the business, leisure, conference and meetings location of choice for visitors from around the world."