June 27, 2023
Tourism is surging in Downtown Fort Lauderdale because our city is on the rise as a major destination for visitors seeking to experience the best of a vibrant, coastal urban center. Tourists have access to the best of both worlds: a thriving downtown and a world-famous beach.
Dive into the latest trends in our tourism market report.
Out-Of-Town Trip Have Nearly Tripled Since 2018:
Downtown Fort Lauderdale has seen massive visitor growth over the past five years, with a 162 percent increase in domestic out-of-town trips since 2018.
Tourists spend more time in Downtown Fort Lauderdale than ever, with 36 percent of all visits extending between 3 and 7 days, a 9-point increase from 2018.
Foot traffic in Downtown Fort Lauderdale hotels has increased by 89 percent over pre-pandemic levels.
The New York City metro area, with 19 percent of all trips to Downtown Fort Lauderdale, was the top point of origin for out-of-town visitors last year.
Cold weather climates such as New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, DC, account for 40 percent of all trips to Downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Downtown Hotel Inventory has Grown by 290% in the last 5 years:
Over 1,100 downtown hotel rooms were added over the last 5 years.
2 out of every 3 downtown hotel rooms were built over the last 5 years.
Fort Lauderdale's occupancy rate was 86% in the first quarter of 2023, 8 points better than Austin and Nashville.
Dive deeper into the evolving DowntownFTL tourism and hotel scene at ddaftl.org/tourism.