Surprise Surprise Florida Tourism Down

a reply to: JAGStorm

www.wesh.com...

While things may be looking up in other parts of the country, and maybe even other destinations in Florida, right here in central Florida, we've seen a drop this summer.

April Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collections are down 3.5%, and in May, down 6.7% compared to those same months a year ago. June is also projected to see a decline, according to Diamond.

According to a new survey from Booking.com, the big picture on travel looks like this 86% of people say they are spending the same or more on travel as last year, 73% are more enthusiastic about traveling, and 55% say this year, they're after more "off the grid” or “chill" destinations.

This is a local news station based in Florida.

a reply to: JAGStorm

“I think part of it is the fact that last year was so good, and this year there are more options for people to travel to, or maybe people traveled to Orlando last year, and they may want to travel to someplace different this year,” Diamond said.

Looks like the real loser is Disney which is hemorrhaging. Disney Stocks dropping, movies flopping, and ticket sales in decline due to its wokeness is likely causing more of an impact to the orlando area than anything else.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Could this be attributed to 'not being woke = going broke"?

originally posted by: quintessentone
a reply to: JAGStorm

Could this be attributed to 'not being woke = going broke"?

Disney is not demonstrating that trend.



Not being woke = ESG social credits for when they get us away from a monetary system into a social credit system.

a reply to: interupt42

The drop in tourism, it appears, to be DeSantis' extremist controversial policies affecting varying groups.

www.cnn.com...#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20Florida%20welcomed%20137.6,between%20January%20 and%20March%202023.

a reply to: quintessentone

No, it is Bidenomics. People cannot afford to go to Disney it is not wok policies. If they want to increase people going they should have Half Price Wednesday.

For a family of four, to just park and enter Disney will cost almost 500 dollars. That is insane. For one day. No food or drinks or souvenirs yet.

originally posted by: matafuchs
a reply to: quintessentone

No, it is Bidenomics. People cannot afford to go to Disney it is not wok policies. If they want to increase people going they should have Half Price Wednesday.

For a family of four, to just park and enter Disney will cost almost 500 dollars. That is insane. For one day. No food or drinks or souvenirs yet.

My post above shows it's not just the Disney experience, it's because of politics, conventions are down, and there are travel advisories or soft boycotting from the LGBTQ and other groups.

Travel to all areas of Florida should be done with extreme caution as it can be particularly unsafe for people of color, LGBTQIA+ communities and individuals who speak with an accent, and international travelers. Due to unconstitutional legislation signed by Governor Ron DeSantis and supported by Legislative Leadership, every county in Florida poses a heightened risk of harassment, possible detainment, and potential family separation based on racial profiling.

Florida Travel Advisory - Florida is Dangerous

floridatraveladvisory.com...

originally posted by: quintessentone
a reply to: interupt42

The drop in tourism, it appears, to be DeSantis' extremist controversial policies affecting varying groups.

www.cnn.com...#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20Florida%20welcomed%20137.6,between%20January%20 and%20March%202023.

That makes no sense . If Desantis is the problem then why is Florida among the top states people are moving into and at the same time Disney going to the sh1tter?

Also the BS media has been lying and using selective imagination liberties to create this narrative that FL is on a downfall.

These stories are nothing but political attacks trying to do away with Desantis success in Fl while the democrat states have been hemorrhaging residents. Also when the original OP was created and all the typical leftard news sites were stating that Tourism dollars were down in fl, it was a complete lie.

www.fox13news.com...

between January and March 2023, Florida saw a record 37.9 million visitors, the largest volume of visitors ever recorded in a single quarter.

I live in florida and throughout covid and under Desantis tourism was insane with the amount of tourist we had. However now that the woke states have been exposed for their BS and have opened up and done away with forced mandatory gov't jabs people are traveling again across the nation and not just fl.

originally posted by: interupt42

originally posted by: quintessentone
a reply to: interupt42

The drop in tourism, it appears, to be DeSantis' extremist controversial policies affecting varying groups.

www.cnn.com...#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20Florida%20welcomed%20137.6,between%20January%20 and%20March%202023.

That makes no sense . If Desantis is the problem then why is Florida among the top states people are moving into and at the same time Disney going to the sh1tter?

Also the BS media has been lying and using selective imagination liberties to create this narrative that FL is on a downfall.

These stories are nothing but political attacks trying to do away with Desantis success in Fl while the democrat states have been hemorrhaging residents. Also when the original OP was created and all the typical leftard news sites were stating that Tourism dollars were down in fl, it was a complete lie.

www.fox13news.com...

between January and March 2023, Florida saw a record 37.9 million visitors, the largest volume of visitors ever recorded in a single quarter.

I live in florida and throughout covid and under Desantis tourism was insane with the amount of tourist we had. However now that the woke states have been exposed for their BS and have opened up and done away with forced mandatory gov't jabs people are traveling again across the nation and not just fl.

Well we will have to wait until the end of 2023 Q4 to compare, but some areas are experiencing slowing tourism.

www.mynews13.com...#:~:text=%E2%80%94%20Central%20Florida%20may%20be%20f acing,to%20May%20of%20this%20year.

a reply to: quintessentone

Conventions are down because during COVID a LOT of companies realized they were spending money on conferences they did not need. That website is a joke and some left wing bs.

I live here. Hamburger Marys is doing fine in Orlando and not affected by the legislation to allow parents to know what is going on with their kids. It is a Pro-Parent bill not anti gay.

and again, people do not have the MONEY for the tourism we have had in previous years. They just do not. Instead of hitting the parks they go to the East Coast and hit the beach.

a reply to: quintessentone

www.fox4now.com...

First Sunday with no tolls on the Sanibel Causeway to help local businesses

They are getting desperate, even snobby Sanibel is trying anything to bring back tourist and even locals to spend money.

More and more companies are cancelling conventions and opting for Chicago, Las Vegas and Atlanta instead. Once Florida loses those conventions it will be hard to regain them.

There is so much going on. I heard this morning that more companies are thinking about relocating. That is something that really can destroy areas. Time will tell.

On the positive side, I really do think Florida was getting too overwhelmed and overcrowded so maybe this will balance things.

I just returned from a three-week working vacation in Colorado at three different resorts, Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Telluride. Tourism is definitely down all over Colorado, the resort workers were telling me on average it's down about 30%. The service industry there is hurting this summer.

My art sales were definitely down, as were the artist's around me. I thankfully managed to cover my expenses, but my profit was small after spending ridiculous amounts on food, gas, and lodging. I did get some decent lodging at a decent price because there were so many Airbnb opportunities and they were discounting the rates.

Our family has vacation rentals in Texas, also down. Including Fredericksburg, which is now a very popular wine destination (although Texas wine is still pretty crappy.)

Oh, and my husband just got laid off from his job in middle management this morning. A company that he has worked for almost 20 years, and he isn't the only one as they are trimming that area all over that company.

To quote a famous line from a famous book, "It's the economy, stupid." There are other factors at play, such as international travel being up this year, but people who don't see the connection must have blinders on.

originally posted by: matafuchs
a reply to: quintessentone

Conventions are down because during COVID a LOT of companies realized they were spending money on conferences they did not need. That website is a joke and some left wing bs.

I live here. Hamburger Marys is doing fine in Orlando and not affected by the legislation to allow parents to know what is going on with their kids. It is a Pro-Parent bill not anti gay.

and again, people do not have the MONEY for the tourism we have had in previous years. They just do not. Instead of hitting the parks they go to the East Coast and hit the beach.

Many news articles clearly state that conventions are being moved to other locations rather than in Florida, nothing about Covid-19 being the cause of the downturn in business.

Immigrants who have started businesses are being forced to move to other locations other than Florida because of DeSantis' immigration law. I guess DeSantis' doesn't need their tax dollars.

"The problem is the customers," Sivira said. "The customers are Mexican people, from Guatemala, Venezuela, Columbia, El Salvador. All of those countries they try to move to other states. So, the businesses are closing."

"We as well are immigrants from other places and our parents as well, so we understand the struggle in what’s going on, so just to support," said Isabel Gaspar, the manager of El Zocalo Mexican Restaurant in Sanford.

The movement has been spreading on social media and goes far beyond just restaurants.

"I think everyone’s going to be affected, not just me," said Antonio Paxtor, the owner of Anthony's Landscaping.

The landscaping company will also be closed Thursday, saying new laws make it harder to find employees.

www.fox35orlando.com...

For disney world, my sister still lives in fl and has an annual pass and has had one for years for her and her daughters. They go all the time and she has said the staff have become less than polite, maintenance issues are a growing problem, their changes to fast pass to try and gain extra money on top of the price increase have made it a lot less fun. nobody wants to stand in line for hours in the heat for a ride to have it break down before you get to it.

As far as conventions *shrugs* dont know, could be companies pinching pennies as they look across the financial landscape and are thinking we should get ready for rough seas.

Then you have the states that banned any travel (so know state functions going) to places that have have passed laws they disagree with.

Lot of pieces to the pie when it comes to people traveling to florida, and after that huge influx of people over the last few years, the roads are going to be even worse to drive on now than they already are, which will impact tourism as well cause who wants to drive to a theme park in an expensive rental and sit in traffic for hours.

ETA: apparently seaworld and bush gardens revenue is up post pandemic

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: quintessentone

www.fox4now.com...

First Sunday with no tolls on the Sanibel Causeway to help local businesses

They are getting desperate, even snobby Sanibel is trying anything to bring back tourist and even locals to spend money.

More and more companies are cancelling conventions and opting for Chicago, Las Vegas and Atlanta instead. Once Florida loses those conventions it will be hard to regain them.

There is so much going on. I heard this morning that more companies are thinking about relocating. That is something that really can destroy areas. Time will tell.

On the positive side, I really do think Florida was getting too overwhelmed and overcrowded so maybe this will balance things.

Sanibel is desperate for Tourism as they only have a 3% occupancy rate right now. The island was decimated. Our place will not be ready until early 2024 and that's being extremely optimistic. The few businesses open are trying to survive. It was depressing when I was there just a month or so ago. Even Cape Coral has million dollar houses still with tarps on the roof waiting for new ones.

With more and more stories coming out, the banning of AP classes, the start of showing Prager U videos in school, with crazy animation like Frederick Douglas implying "slavery isn't bad!" It's just going to get worse there.

a reply to: quintessentone

For the last time. I live here. No immigrant businesses are moving because of policy. I live in Osceola County. We had over 400k people immigrate in a year. Stop; listening to the MSM and social media.

Here you go....growth....with brown people.....

link

The new spot will also support Valenzuela's Seminole Heights food truck by offering additional refrigeration and storage space. The menu at Rene’s Mexican Kitchen is exactly the same as that food truck offering—think tacos loaded with proteins like al pastor, barbacoa, chorizo and cheese, picadillo-stuffed peppers and spicy shrimp, in addition to vegetarian options like oyster mushrooms and butternut squash—with the addition of tortas, a Mexican sandwich served on a soft roll. Various burritos, house specialties and expected sides will join its taco-heavy menu, too. Valenzuela has deep culinary roots in Tampa, and founded Taco Bus, which now has multiple locations throughout the Bay area. He sold his stake in the company in 2015, he continued to dish out his beloved Mexican food through other ventures.

a reply to: frogs453

There are no state taxes and it is easy to set up a business. Trust me. This is a media hype against florida. We are growing not losing people. It is insane. We do not have the infrastructure. That is what they should be talking about.

AP classes are not all banned either. They are just that. Stories....

Yeah. Tourism's down. Right. If it is why in the hell did I have such a hard time getting hotel reservations for a trip there that I have to make in a few weeks?

originally posted by: matafuchs
a reply to: quintessentone

For the last time. I live here. No immigrant businesses are moving because of policy. I live in Osceola County. We had over 400k people immigrate in a year. Stop; listening to the MSM and social media.

Too much icky freedom in Florida.

People having issues should move to California where government-sponsored freedom is much better.

a reply to: JIMC5499

I know. We like to stay on the West Coast (St Pete) and it is all booked. This is nothing but scare tactic garbage for the left masses.