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The numbers are in—our neighbors up north are not visiting the Sunshine State, as Visit Florida has published its Q3 2025 tourism statistics.
From July to September, Visit Florida reported that Canadian visitation was estimated at 507,000 in Q3 2025, representing a 15.0% decrease from Q3 2024 and a 27.9% decrease from Q3 2019.
Overall, tourism in Florida increased during its Q3 summary, with 34.3 million total visitors (in-person trips) traveling to the state in the third quarter of 2025, a 0.3% increase from 2024.
Tensions rising between the United States and Canada can be one of the contributing factors for the diminishing tourism numbers in Florida, as travel regulations imposed in April 2025 began the requirement of Canadian visitors aged 14 and older to undergo a background check, which includes submitting fingerprints and providing biographic information such as name, gender, and date of birth.
In light of the travel restrictions, WINK News interviewed Canadian tourists about how this change will impact future trips to the United States.
John Engelmann, a Canadian snowbird and homeowner in North Fort Myers, has been visiting Florida with his wife for more than 12 years.
“One thing Canadians do is they come here, they eat, they go to groceries, they go shopping; we spend a lot of our hard-earned money here in the US of A,” said Engelmann.
According to Visit Florida, domestic visitors accounted for 91.7% of total visitors, while overseas visitors accounted for 6.8% and Canadian visitors accounted for 1.5%.
Hotel room sales declined during the third quarter, with preliminary numbers for Florida hotels showing a 1.1% decrease. It was noted that there is a reversal from the first half of 2025, as Q1 and Q2 numbers increased by 2.4% and 1.2%, respectively.
Overall, while tourism numbers are slightly up in Florida, a dark shadow continues to follow the Sunshine State, as Canadians continue to choose alternative travel destinations in light of stricter travel restrictions imposed by the US.
For the full breakdown of Visit Florida’s Q3 statistics for 2025, click here.
