Florida Attracts 85 Million+ Visitors; Fuels Demand for Real Estate

Commercial and residential Realtors with a market niche based on the state's tourism industry were not disappointed in 2005. The preliminary number of visitors to the state recently released showed a record number of tourists, which fueled demand for single-family homes used for short-term rentals, hotels or related service industries. According to Gov. Jeb Bush, a new record-high of 85.8 million visitors in 2005 represents an increase of 7.6 percent over the same period in 2004, based on research from Visit Florida, the state's official source for travel planning. It also marks the first time annual visitation to Florida has exceeded the 80 million mark. Domestic travel to Florida increased 7.7 percent to more than 79 million in 2005 with domestic visitors representing 92 percent of total visits. Internationally, an estimated 2.1 million Canadians visited Florida in 2005, an 8.2 percent increase from 2004. Overseas travel to Florida increased by as much as 6.3 percent over 2004, to 4.7 million in 2005.