MIAMI – Tourism’s momentum in Greater Miami and Miami Beach took center stage at the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (GMCVB) annual meeting, held Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Coastal Convention Center at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Statistics from July 2024 to June 2025, highlighted by $21.3 billion in total visitor spending (a 3% year-over-year increase), demonstrate that the destination not only weathered global economic challenges but, through strategic marketing programs and partnerships, successfully redirected efforts to drive significant economic benefit for Miami-Dade County.
Attended by more than 600 partners and stakeholders, the event celebrated growth indicators across key tourism benchmarks and outlined the forward-looking strategies that drive Miami-Dade County’s tourism industry to deliver quality-of-live benefits to residents and businesses. Elected officials who delivered remarks in-person included Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner.
During the July 2024 to June 2025 period, Miami-Dade County maintained its market position as a leisure, business and convention destination that continues to capitalize on its appeal created by bold tourism marketing programs and memorable event experiences. Among the key highlights:
- 28.2 million visitors to Miami-Dade County – a 4.5% year-over-year increase
- Florida resident visitation accounting for more than 31% of total visitors; showing strong demand from in-state markets
- Domestic visitation remained steady, accounting for 46% of total visitors signaling consistent demand from key U.S. markets
“These results tell a powerful story about how our destination leaned into global headwinds and the ability of our industry partners to provide the quality of visitor experiences that helped us stand out against our competition. Our hotels remained among the nation’s top performers, with a 2.4% increase in average daily rate,” said GMCVB President and CEO David Whitaker. “Building toward 2026, our momentum is clearly defined – fueled by signature GMCVB programs like Miami Spice that bring attention to our destination’s 59 MICHELIN restaurants of distinction, increasing convention bookings ahead of the opening of the new Grand Hyatt Miami Beach Convention Center headquarter hotel and a slate of major global events like the College Football Playoff National Championship, World Baseball Classic, the PGA Tour, the NASCAR Cup Series Championship and FIFA World Cup 2026 among others.”
Julissa Kepner, GMCVB board chair and general manager of the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay shared, “As we look ahead to 2026, we are encouraged by the momentum we’ve built. We’re leveraging the lessons of the past year to shape our strategies, ensuring that Greater Miami and Miami Beach remains at the forefront of global travel and continues to reflect the strength and spirit of our community.”
During the event, GMCVB Nominating Chair Christine Valls introduced four new members to the organization’s diverse board of directors, representing a cross-section of leadership from Miami-Dade’s business community:
- Mickael Damelincourt, Managing Director, Trump National Doral Miami
- Christine Duffy, President, Carnival Cruise Line
- Robin Jacobs, Chair, Miami Beach Convention Center Advisory Board
- Florencia Tabeni, Chief Operating Officer, MDM Hotel Group
Added Whitaker: “In addition, our expanded organizational priorities include focusing on continued engagement in all our neighborhoods, expanding marketing and content strategy targeting the luxury segment and upscale travelers, hospitality industry career development, leveraging music as a key destination marketing platform and expanding on arts and culture programming.”
For additional insights and to explore the GMCVB’s official 2024/2025 Annual Report and 2025/2026 Business Plan, visit here:
