FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Florida's tourism and hospitality industry should reopen from the coronavirus pandemic slowly, focusing first on getting residents to take in-state vacations before branching out to domestic and international travelers, a business subcommittee charged with making recommendations was told Tuesday.
Florida's No. 1 industry has crashed since mid-March when the state's theme parks and other attractions began closing, with hotels seeing a drop in revenue of $1.6 billion over the last six weeks compared to last year, said Dana Young, head of Visit Florida, the state's tourism bureau.
Domestic air travel to the state is down 65% and international air travel is down 80% compared to last year, she said on the committee's