More People Visited Miami in 2010 Than Ever Before

Duane Hanson's Tourists II

​12.6 million paid an overnight visit to Miami-Dade in 2010, and according to the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau that is an all time record.Yep, despite a still downtrodden economy, the local tourism industry is apparently thriving.

According to The Herald, of those 12.6 million visitors 6.5 million came from within the United states while a hefty 6.1 million were international travelers. Latin America accounts for about 4 million of those international travelers, with Brazil alone sending 550,000 visitors here.

International travelers are also shelling out more money locally: $12.4 billion compared to the $6.4 billion spent by Americans.

Events like the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl and growing attendance for events like Art Basel, Winter Music Conference and other events are partially to credit.

Overall the numbers reflect a 5.6 growth in the number of visitors since 2009 and a 10 percent growth in spending since 2009. All in all, visitors to Miami-Dade made up for slightly more than 15 percent of all visitors to Florida for the year.

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