Florida saw a slight decline in tourism during the second quarter of 2026, marking the second consecutive quarter in which visitor numbers fell compared with the previous year.
According to figures released by Visit Florida, the state’s official tourism marketing agency, an estimated 34.01 million people visited the state between April and June, a 0.7% decrease from the same period in 2025. During the first half of 2026, Florida welcomed approximately 73.5 million visitors, down 1.4% from roughly 74.5 million during the first six months of last year.
Domestic travelers made up the overwhelming majority of Florida’s visitors. About 31.08 million domestic travelers visited during the second quarter, slightly below the 31.22 million recorded during the same period in 2025. For the first half of the year, domestic visitation totaled 67.33 million, compared with 68.2 million a year earlier.
International visitation also saw a decline during the second quarter, with overseas travel dropping 3.7% to 2.21 million visitors. Despite the quarterly decrease, Florida welcomed about 4.5 million overseas visitors during the first half of 2026, 2.2% more than during the same period last year.
Canadian travel experienced the most significant decline. Approximately 721,000 Canadians visited Florida during the second quarter, down 4.2% year over year. The larger trend is even more pronounced when looking at the first half of the year, when Canadian visitation fell 13.9% compared with the same time in 2025, to 1.68 million visitors.
The decline in Canadian tourism comes amid changing travel patterns and ongoing political and trade tensions between the United States and Canada. Statistics Canada reported in July that early 2026 travel data pointed to a continuing shift away from U.S. destinations among Canadian travelers.
The broader slowdown has also been reflected at one of Central Florida’s major theme park resorts. Comcast executives recently told investors that attendance at Universal Orlando began “softening” in June and continued to trend lower into the third quarter, with attendance levels coming in “below expectations.” Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanagh pointed to higher fuel prices and weaker consumer sentiment as potential temporary factors contributing to the decline.
Walt Disney World, however, has reported a different trend. Disney described its recent performance as “stand-out,” with increased attendance helping drive the resort’s results.
Economic conditions could also be influencing travel decisions more broadly. In an August 14 update, Florida’s Revenue Estimating Conference pointed to inflation outpacing wage growth and increased consumer reliance on credit, while also noting forecasts for slower growth in tourism and other major sectors.
Tourism remains one of Florida’s largest and most economically significant industries, but the latest figures show that the state’s visitor growth has slowed during the first half of 2026, with visitation so far declining compared with 2025. However, the contrasting attendance results reported by Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World also suggest that the slowdown is not affecting all of Florida’s major tourism destinations equally.
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