Tourism is the state's largest industry and was responsible for welcoming 122 million visitors in 2021. Based on an economic impact study in 2018, Florida visitors spent $112 billion and supported 1.5 million Florida jobs. According to the state's Office of Economic and Demographic Research, for every $1 the state invests in Visit Florida, $2.15 in tax revenue is generated.

Each year, the Florida Legislature appropriates public funding to be allocated for tourism marketing. Visit Florida (official tourism marketing corporation) is required to match public funds, which is done by actively recruiting the state's tourism industry to invest as Partners through cooperative advertising campaigns, promotional programs, and many other marketing ventures. Through this public/private partnership, the organization serves more than 12,000 tourism industry businesses, including major strategic alliance partnerships with Busch Gardens Tampa, Disney Destinations, The Hertz Corporation, LEGOLAND Florida Resort, SeaWorld Parks & Resorts Orlando, Simon Shopping Destinations, and Universal Orlando Resort.

Florida was one of the first states to establish highway Welcome Centers.

The first center opened in November 1949. It was located on U.S. Highway 17 near Yulee (5). The success of the first welcome center led to additional welcome centers on I75 near Jennings (4), US 231 near Campbell ton (2), US 90 (west of Pensacola) (1), and U.S. Route 19 in Tallahassee (3).

During the late 19th century, Florida became a popular tourist destination as Henry Flagler's railroads expanded into the area. In 1891, railroad magnate Henry Plant built the luxurious Tampa Bay Hotel in Tampa; the hotel was later adapted for use as the campus for the University of Tampa. 

Flagler built the Florida East Coast Railway from Jacksonville to Key West.

Along the route he provided grand accommodations for passengers, including the Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine, the Ormond Hotel in Ormond Beach, the Royal Poinciana Hotel and the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, and the Royal Palm Hotel in Miami.

In February 1888, Florida had a special tourist: President Grover Cleveland, the first lady, and his party visited Florida for a couple of days. He visited the Subtropical Exposition in Jacksonville, where he made a speech supporting tourism to the state; he took a train to St. Augustine, meeting Henry Flagler; and a train to Titusville, where he boarded a steamboat and visited Rockledge. On his return trip, he visited Sanford and Winter Park.

Flagler's railroad connected cities on the east coast of Florida. This created more urbanization along that corridor. Development also followed the construction of Turnpikes I-95 in east Florida, and I-75 in west Florida. These routes aided tourism and urbanization. Northerners from the East Coast used I-95 and tended to settle along that route. People from the Midwest tended to use I-75, and settled along the west coast of Florida.

Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Florida

Walt Disney World

Disney World is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The property covers nearly 25,000 acres (39 sq mi; 101 km2), of which half has been used. The resort comprises four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom), two water parks (Disney's Blizzard Beach and Disney's Typhoon Lagoon), 31 themed resort hotels, nine non-Disney hotels, several golf courses, a camping resort, and other entertainment venues, including the outdoor shopping center Disney Springs.

Kennedy Space Center

The John F. Kennedy Space Center, located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968, KSC has been NASA's primary launch center of human spaceflight. Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC. Located on the east coast of Florida, KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). The management of the two entities work very closely together, share resources, and operate facilities on each other's property.

Though the first Apollo flights and all Project Mercury and Project Gemini flights took off from the then-Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the launches were managed by KSC and its previous organization, the Launch Operations Directorate. Starting with the fourth Gemini mission, the NASA launch control center in Florida (Mercury Control Center, later the Launch Control Center) began handing off control of the vehicle to the Mission Control Center in Houston, shortly after liftoff; in prior missions it held control throughout the entire mission.

Additionally, the center manages launch of robotic and commercial crew missions and researches food production and in-situ resource utilization for off-Earth exploration. Since 2010, the center has worked to become a multi-user spaceport through industry partnerships, even adding a new launch pad (LC-39C) in 2015.

There are about 700 facilities and buildings grouped throughout the center's 144,000 acres Among the unique facilities at KSC are the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking NASA's largest rockets, the Launch Control Center, which conducts space launches at KSC, the Operations and Checkout Building, which houses the astronaut’s dormitories and suit-up area, a Space Station factory, and a 3-mile-long Shuttle Landing Facility. There is also a Visitor Complex on site that is open to the public.

Universal Studios

A theme park located in Orlando, Florida, opened on June 7, 1990. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, it features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows that are primarily themed to movies, television, and other aspects of the entertainment industry. Universal Studios Florida was the first of three theme parks to open at Universal Orlando Resort, joined later by Islands of Adventure in 1999 and Volcano Bay in 2017. A third park, Epic Universe, is expected in summer 2025. It is expected to be the largest Universal park in the United States.

Everglades National Park

The Everglades is a large region of marsh in south Florida that spans 1.5 million acres. All of these places provide a diverse choice of activities! A short walk down the Anhinga Trail will allow you to see plenty of wildlife. Climb the 65-foot observation tower in Shark Valley for a bird's-eye view of the glades. Watch the sunset over Flamingo, the southernmost point on Florida's peninsula. Find tranquility on a week-long canoe excursion through the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway.

Daytona 500 International Speedway

The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile-long NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three held in Florida, with the annual fall showdown Dixie Vodka 400 being held at Homestead south of Miami.

From 1988 to 2019, it was one of the four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule. The inaugural Daytona 500 was held in 1959 coinciding with the opening of the speedway and since 1982, it has been the season-opening race of the Cup series.

Sea World

SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park and marine zoological park. While its name includes the City of Orlando, the park complex is actually located in Unincorporated Orange County, Florida near Orlando, Florida. It is owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. When combined with its neighbors Discovery Cove and Aquatica, it forms SeaWorld Parks and Resorts Orlando, an entertainment complex consisting of three parks and many hotels. In 2018, SeaWorld Orlando hosted an estimated 4.594 million guests.

Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay opened on March 31, 1959, and has an African theme. The park was originally tagged "The Dark Continent." The theme park is one of America's largest zoological institutions, with 335 acres and more than 2,700 animals. Attractions include: Montu, Kumba, Scorpion, Edge of Africa, Jungala, Sand Serpent, Congo River Rapids, Saga, Tanganyika Tidal Wave, Stanley Falls, Serengeti Railway, Phoenix, Sesame Street and SheiKra, a vertical dive coaster which opened in 2005.

In 2011, the park added Cheetah Hunt, a triple launch roller coaster. In 2014, the park added Falcon's Fury, an Intimin drop tower. In 2016, the park constructed Cobra's Curse, a steel roller coaster created by Mack Rides. In 2019, the park opened Tigris, a steel launched roller coaster constructed by Premier Rides. In 2022, the park opened Iron Gwazi, which is a hybrid conversion of Gwazi by Rocky Mountain Construction. The park is some distance away from downtown, in central Tampa, near the limits of the city of Temple Terrace to the east of Tampa.

Manatee Viewing

Florida’s state marine mammal – are native to Florida. The Florida manatee breathes air, just like other mammals. It has a large, tube-shaped body, a flat, round, paddle-shaped tail, two relatively short front flippers and a whiskered face. The average adult manatee is about 10 feet long and weighs approximately 1,200 pounds. Manatees can live more than 65 years.

Manatees are protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act, the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act and the federal Endangered Species Act. It is illegal to feed, harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, annoy or molest manatees.

Click here to view the “where can I view Manatee PDF”

Dry Tortugas National Park

Dry Tortugas National Park is an American national park located about 68 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico, in the United States. The park preserves Fort Jefferson and the several Dry Tortugas islands, the westernmost and most isolated of the Florida Keys. The archipelago's coral reefs are the least disturbed of the Florida Keys reefs.

The park is noted for abundant sea life, tropical bird breeding grounds, colorful coral reefs, and shipwrecks and sunken treasures. The park's centerpiece is Fort Jefferson, a massive but unfinished coastal fortress. Fort Jefferson is the largest brick masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere, composed of more than 16 million bricks.

The park is accessible only by seaplane or boat and has averaged about 63,000 visitors annually in the period from 2008 to 2017. Activities include snorkeling, picnicking, birdwatching, camping, scuba diving, saltwater fishing, and kayaking. Overnight camping is limited to eight primitive campsites at the Garden Key campground, located just south of Fort Jefferson.

Most visitors arrive in Dry Tortugas National Park by either boat or seaplane from Key West. Official ferry and transportation services to the Dry Tortugas include the Yankee Freedom III catamaran, private vessel chartering and seaplane services. There are no road connections to Dry Tortugas, and cars cannot access the islands.

Inside Dry Tortugas National Park the goods and services are limited. Visitors are required to bring the food, water and supplies they might need during their time in the park. The closest restaurants and hotels are located in Key West. However, primitive camping sites are available within Dry Tortugas on Garden Key

Weeki Wachee Spring and Live Mermaids Show

Weeki Wachee Springs is a natural tourist attraction located in Weeki Wachee, Florida, where underwater performances by "mermaids," women wearing fish tails as well as other fanciful outfits, can be viewed in an aquarium-like setting in the spring of the Weeki Wachee River. A waterpark, Buccaneer Bay, river boat rides, kayak and paddleboard rental are some of the other activities offered at Weeki Wachee Springs.