Following a monumental 2026, which saw Miami host seven FIFA World Cup matches, including a quarter-final and the bronze final, the city is now evaluating how this unprecedented global exposure will shape its tourism landscape in 2027. Beyond football, Miami's busy calendar also featured the College Football Playoff national championship game, the World Baseball Classic, and the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, all contributing to a year of intense international spotlight.
Industry experts are closely monitoring whether this significant visibility will translate into sustained tourism demand. Initial economic indicators and South Florida's upcoming major events suggest 2027 will be a pivotal year for the region's visitor economy. The data currently points towards a potential decrease in domestic budget travellers, but a corresponding increase in higher-spending international visitors.
A significant factor in the domestic market shift is the closure of Spirit Airlines in May 2026. The ultra-low-cost carrier, headquartered in South Florida, was a dominant presence at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for many years. Its cessation of operations, attributed to a doubling of jet fuel prices amid a fuel crisis and the failure of a federal rescue package, has removed substantial capacity from the market. This closure disproportionately affects price-sensitive leisure travellers, such as families and weekend visitors, who often fill Florida hotel rooms during shoulder seasons.
With Spirit's capacity gone and rising fuel costs pushing up fares across the airline industry, the most affordable tier of air travel to Florida has considerably thinned. While some of these trips may shift to other carriers at higher prices, others may simply no longer be viable. Florida residents, however, who accounted for approximately 9.1 million visits to Greater Miami in 2025, including 4.8 million overnight stays, are largely insulated from these airline price shocks, which is expected to support local visitation in 2027.
The international travel market presents a more complex picture. In 2025, Greater Miami experienced a 2.8% decline in international visitation, with around 6.26 million total international travellers. Decreases from countries such as Colombia, Brazil, and Canada led to a loss of roughly 75,000 visitors compared to 2024. However, growth from the UK, Italy, and Argentina nearly offset this, adding approximately 73,000 combined visitors. Despite the dip in overall numbers, international visitors are economically significant, contributing about US$7.2 billion in spending in 2025, a 5% increase from the previous year, suggesting longer stays and higher expenditure per person.
Early 2026 showed promising signs of a rebound in international arrivals. While US inbound international travel saw a 5.5% decline in 2025, Florida's major gateways have been a bright spot. In the first quarter of 2026, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa collectively processed approximately 1.59 million international arrivals, with Miami International Airport alone accounting for 1.13 million of these. This positive trend, combined with the extensive global media coverage from the World Cup, is anticipated to help carry Greater Miami's tourism momentum into 2027, particularly by attracting higher-spending international visitors.