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2007 Industry Outlook
Tourism
Travelers who want new experiences are changing the way Florida destinations need to market themselves.
Vacation-Home Leader
Florida continues to lead the nation in the vacation-home market, which includes timeshares, fractional ownerships, destination clubs, condo/hotels and traditional vacation homes. Most notably, the state accounts for almost 24% of all U.S. timeshare resorts with 378, and at one point last year Florida's 31,500 condo/hotel units under development topped numbers from any other state.
Tourist Visas
The industry is watching a dip in the number of foreign travelers visiting Florida and the U.S. Some attribute it to tougher restrictions on visas and stronger security measures because of terrorism concerns. Others speculate there's just more worldwide competition for tourist dollars. "I hope cooler heads can prevail and figure out a way we can protect our borders but not shut down tourism," says Joe West, dean of Florida International University's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. "The more people come over here and discover who we are as a country, the better we are in the long run."
