The Greater Miami and its beaches celebrates the record of 16.5 million visitors. The destination also received 6.8 million “Day Trippers” in 2018
The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) today announced a record 16.5 million visitors in 2018, 3.5% more compared to 2017, along with 6.8 million Day Trippers for a total of 23.3 million visitors. The record volume of visitors led to an economic impact of almost $ 18 billion dollars, driven mainly by international visitors who contributed an estimated 54% of the total economic impact. In 2018, the travel and hospitality sector employed a record 142,100 people, while the Greater Miami hotel market ranked in the top 10 of the top 25 hotel markets in the US. UU According to the STR study, Miami and its beaches broke another record by selling 15.6 million hotel nights in 2018, which represents an increase of 1.5% compared to 2017. This speaks of the strong demand of the destination.
The international market of visitors that stayed in Miami experienced the highest growth rate, 4.1% in 2018 compared to 2017 and contributed to the achievement of a new record. International visitors accounted for 35% of the market, with 5.8 million visitors, and contributed approximately 54% of total visitor spending due to long stays at the destination. Latin America continued to be a key feeder market in 2018. The three main countries of origin of international visitors who spend the night in Greater Miami are: Brazil, Colombia and Argentina. Combined, these three countries delivered more than 20% of international visitors. In the same way, Latin America as a region represented 45% of the total number of visitors. National visitors during the night (excluding Florida residents) in 2018 accounted for 38% of the total visitor market during the night, with 6.2 million people traveling to the Greater Miami area and 34% of expenses of the visitors. New York City remained the largest overnight domestic market, with a contribution of more than 1.2 million visitors or 20% of the total domestic market.
This year, the GMCVB changed its research methodology to include a more complete analysis of travelers. As a result, they prepared The General View of the Industry and Visitors of 2018 with data on travelers from different regions and countries.
In the GMCVB Visitor Profile 2018, the analysis of the Day Tripper customer is something new. This client does not spend the night in the destination, but it offers a positive economic impact for the local community when buying, eating or enjoying the museums and local attractions in the area. In 2018, there were 6.8 million Day Trippers in Greater Miami. Florida residents contributed the majority of Day Trippers, representing 2.8 million of the segment. National and international visitors can also be classified as day hikers when they fly to other markets and drive to the Greater Miami area for the day. In 2018, the segments of national and international day trips were of a similar size, 2.1 million of the national market and 1.9 million international sources.
“The international map continues to be a priority market for Greater Miami, while we see how it evolves as a preferred destination for Floridians and Day Trippers,” said William D. Talbert III, CDME, President and CEO of GMCVB. “We are proud to offer our local industry partners the latest and most evolved standards for research and information in the travel industry. This expanded methodology and approach provides our partners and the GMCVB with more complete information to create more specific marketing and sales programs”.
Cruise trips as a reason to visit Greater Miami continue to grow, with more than one in 10 visitors traveling to the destination for it. Interest in cruise travel grew by 12.5% in PortMiami, which translates into a record 6 million cruise passengers in 2018. GMCVB partners with PortMiami to create programs that promote the Cruise Capital of the World . The GMCVB also continued its strong partnerships with the Miami International Airport (MIA) in 2018, welcoming the new service from all over the world, including from Santa Marta, Colombia with VivaAir Colombia; Brasilia and Fortaleza, Brazil with GOL Lineas Aereas; and eight new American Airlines routes, including the Córdoba-Miami flight. More than 22 million passengers arrived at MIA in 2018, which resulted in a record year for MIA arrivals, an increase of + 2% compared to 2017.
In 2018, GMCVB continued with its “The First Hotels” initiative, positioning the hotels in the center and the brand in the global marketing efforts, increasing the convenience and demand of the Greater Miami hotel market. In 2018, Greater Miami and its beaches had the highest ADR growth rate (average daily rate) among the top 25 US hotel markets. UU The 6.1% increase over 2017 produced an average ADR of $ 199.35 per room in 2018. The destination ended the year with an average hotel occupancy rate of 76.7%, an increase of + 0.3% compared to 2017. Changes in occupancy and ADR resulted in $ 152.81 per room, representing an overall increase of 6.3% for Greater Miami and its beaches.
The demand for the Miami and Beaches brand remained strong in 2018 with a 4.2% increase in the hotel inventory, reaching a total of 57,415 rooms in 2018. The great Miami and its beaches broke another record in 2018 by selling 15.6 million of hotel nights in 2018, which represents an increase of 1.5% over the previous year.
The success of the hotel and travel industry is directly linked to marketing programs that help boost demand and increase the number of visitors to Greater Miami and its beaches. In 2018, GMCVB continued with its marketing campaign and brand “Found in Miami”, a national and international advertising and destination campaign that speaks of the destination’s authentic travel experiences. The campaign invites travelers to deepen and discover the cultural riches of Greater Miami neighborhoods. The campaign encourages visitors to stay longer and explore the diverse neighborhoods of Miami to discover authentic experiences.
“Our neighborhood marketing strategy encourages visitors to stay longer in Greater Miami, further extending the wealth of tourism,” said Bruce Orosz, Chairman of the Board of GMCVB. “Whether it’s a Day Tripper that comes to the destination to experience a neighborhood for a few hours or an international visitor that stays for several days, the authenticity of Greater Miami is a strong driver of tourism and attracts visitors from all over the world.”
Looking ahead, with the recent opening of the renovated Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) at $ 625 million and approval for the construction of a new convention-based hotel, the GMCVB resigns conventions and generates a strong local economic impact generated by industry meetings. GMCVB will continue with strategic marketing campaigns aimed at industry meetings to include sales, public relations, advertising and digital programs to attract city-wide conventions to the destination.
The industry meetings, together with the entertainment part of the Greater Miami tourism business, are currently under close evaluation during the GMCVB strategic plan process called DestinationMiami. The GMCVB strategic plan process is action-oriented and forward-looking, designed to address critical issues for the Greater Miami travel and tourism industry. DestinationMiami’s strategic plan will closely assess the assets and challenges of Greater Miami to develop a roadmap to boost the travel and tourism industry over the next five years. The process will analyze the trends of the Greater Miami tourism industry and create a plan to maintain the destination’s position as a highly desired global brand in a constantly changing competitive market