- Florida tourism saw Canadian visitors fall 4.2% in the second quarter of 2026, to about 721,000.
- The state logged 34.01 million visitors in Q2 and 73.5 million in the first half, both down 1.4%.
- Canadian arrivals reached only 1.68 million in six months, still well below 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
Florida tourism declined for a second consecutive quarter in 2026 as about 721,000 Canadians visited the state in the second quarter, down 4.2% from the same period in 2025. The Canadian market posted the sharpest percentage drop among Florida’s visitor segments.
The weakness extended beyond one national market. Florida recorded about 34.01 million visitors in the second quarter and 73.5 million during the first half, with both totals down 1.4% from a year earlier.
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The overall decline was smaller than the Canadian pullback. The state’s visitor count eased modestly, while Canadian arrivals fell more sharply in the first six months.
About 1.68 million Canadian visitors came to Florida during the first half of 2026. That was a 13.9% year-over-year decline.
Domestic, overseas and Canadian visitation all weakened slightly overall. Canada remained the state’s steepest-falling visitor market by percentage.
The figures show two different scales of change. Florida’s total traffic softened, but the Canadian contraction was more pronounced and left the market below its earlier recovery path.
Canadian arrivals still trail the state’s pre-pandemic benchmarks
Visit Florida figures show the Canadian market below its 2019 level in both comparisons. The quarterly gap is narrower than the first-half gap, but both periods remain behind their pre-pandemic benchmarks.
| Period | Canadian arrivals | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 721,000 | Down 4.2% from Q2 2025 |
| Q2 2019 | 848,000 | Pre-pandemic benchmark |
| H1 2026 | 1.68 million | Down 13.9% from H1 2025 |
| H1 2019 | 2.29 million | Pre-pandemic benchmark |
The second-quarter 2026 figure stood about 127,000 below the corresponding 2019 count. The first-half comparison showed a gap of about 610,000 visitors.
Those benchmarks put the latest annual declines in context. Even before the newest year-over-year drop, Canadian travel to Florida had not regained its former scale.
The quarterly and first-half measures also capture different parts of the year. The Q2 result covers one three-month period, while the H1 figure includes the accumulated performance from the opening six months.
The Canadian decline fits a wider retreat from U.S. travel
A July report from Statistics Canada described early 2026 travel data as evidence of a broader change in where Canadian residents choose to travel. The agency connected the Florida numbers to a wider reduction in trips to the United States.
“a persistent shift away from the United States by Canadian residents in their travel preferences”
The report also characterized the decline in U.S.-bound travel as “the deepest and most sustained on record” outside the pandemic period. That assessment covers Canadian travel to the United States broadly, rather than Florida alone.
Florida’s results align with that wider pattern. Canadian arrivals declined in both the second quarter and first half, while the state’s total visitor count fell 1.4% in each measure.
The agency’s wording describes a sustained national travel trend. It does not assign Florida’s decline to one measured cause.
Economic strain and political backlash sit behind the weaker demand
Economic pressure and changing travel patterns have accompanied the reduction in Canadian travel to the United States. Reporting has also linked the shift to backlash in Canada over President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and trade policies.
Those explanations provide context, not a quantified breakdown of Florida’s losses. The hard figures identify the market that weakened most, but they do not divide the drop among economic, political or behavioral factors.
The state’s other visitor segments also softened slightly. Domestic and overseas travel declined alongside Canadian visitation, although the Canadian market recorded the largest percentage decrease.
That combination leaves Florida facing a broad but uneven slowdown. The total visitor count slipped by 1.4% in the second quarter and first half, while Canadian travel fell 4.2% quarterly and 13.9% through June.
The historical comparison remains the clearest measure of the incomplete recovery. Florida received about 848,000 Canadians in the second quarter of 2019 and 2.29 million during the first half of that year.
The next reporting period will show whether the Canadian market moves closer to those benchmarks or extends its decline. The latest half-year count was 1.68 million, still below the 2.29 million recorded before the pandemic.
