Greater Miami’s tourism industry is recovering and, with everyone’s help, will get even stronger | Opinion
May recognized National Travel & Tourism Month, marking the unofficial start to summer. At the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), we reflected on the general state of the travel and tourism industry.
On May 6, the GMCVB hosted 300 business and community leaders at its annual State of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry Breakfast at the reimagined Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC). The mood was cautiously optimistic, with one overall takeaway: Recovery is well under way despite the unexpected blow of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is good news for all Miami-Dade County, as tourism’s impact ripples across the region and affects everyone in our community.
Part of this success can be attributed to GMCVB’s early efforts to support Miami-Dade’s tourism and hospitality businesses through our Miami Shines campaign, a comprehensive travel and tourism recovery program to stimulate business for the hard-hit industry. The program offers incentives for restaurants, hotels, museums, spas and other attractions. The GMCVB’s Multicultural Tourism & Development Department works closely with small, minority-owned businesses, providing tools and access to these tourism recovery efforts. Also, the GMCVB used a $5 million grant approved by Miami-Dade County, through CARES Act funding, to launch MIAMILAND, a campaign promoting Miami-Dade’s great outdoors and to position Miami as a leading destination for safe and enjoyable travel.
The return of travel and tourism to Greater Miami is due in part to the resumption of in-person trade, business and lifestyle events. The Jewelry International Showcase (JIS) was held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in March with numerous safety protocols to protect participants and exhibitors. It was a safe — and resounding — success, with 170 exhibiting brands and almost 3,000 buyers in attendance. In April, the Aesthetic Society held its annual meeting at the convention center, sharing the latest techniques and research among the country’s top plastic surgeons. The event was similarly successful, safely hosting more than 700 participants in person. We can now add the South Beach Wine & Food Festival to the list of successes and look forward to several more safe, in-person events, including the Hyundai Air and Sea Show, Bitcoin 2021, American Black Film Festival (ABFF), Florida International Medical Exposition, LE Miami and Seatrade Cruise Global.
More encouraging, GMCVB data indicates we are quickly catching up to 2019 tourism levels. Current average daily rates for local hotels are surpassing 2019 figures, and we expect occupancy will be up to par with 2019 figures by July — with the upward trend likely to continue. Dining is also seeing an uptick far beyond 2019, with an increase of nearly 30 percent in reservations alone.
The increase in air travel and the return of cruising are key to our recovery. Miami International Airport is experiencing the highest number of passengers since the start of the pandemic. And, our hometown carrier American Airlines, as well as JetBlue, Southwest, and Frontier, are adding new routes, making it even easier for visitors to fly into Miami. Based out of PortMiami, our cruise industry is one of the county’s most important economic engines. As the Cruise Capital of the World™ we are encouraged by news from our cruise lines showing signs that the industry will soon be coming back online.
The data is encouraging not only for hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses, but for the entire community. Tourism is Miami’s No. 1 job creator, historically supporting almost 144,800 jobs annually and saves Miami-Dade households as much as $1,744 in taxes annually. In 2019, tourism generated more than $1.5 billion in tax revenue, providing funding for critical services such as transportation and healthcare. At the state level, 38 percent of all sales taxes are paid by visitors, generating $1.4 billion in tax revenue annually.
The return of international visitors to our destination also plays a vital role in making a full recovery. The U.S. Senate Tourism, Trade and Export Promotion Subcommittee is considering policies and measures to revive international travel. On May 18, at the subcommittee’s invitation, I providing testimony on the importance of foreign visitors to Greater Miami and Florida — and the critical role it will play in our nation’s economic recovery.
Over the years, Miami has experienced hurricanes, oil spills, the Zika pandemic and other crises. But we are a resilient bunch and consistently rise above every obstacle that comes our way. If everyone does their part — government agencies, private businesses, residents and visitors — our community once again will prevail and come out stronger than ever.
William D. Talbert III, CDME, is president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.
This story was originally published June 1, 2021 at 9:33 AM.