Florida Shines in Travel + Leisure’s 2025 World’s Best Awards
Published in July by Travel + Leisure magazine, this annual survey has been conducted for 30 years among its 200,000 readers worldwide. The 2025 World’s Best Awards highlight top destinations across several categories, including cities, hotels, and beaches.
It’s in the beach category that Florida truly stands out, with five beaches ranked among the top 15 in the United States:
- Amelia Island ranks 2nd nationally (north of Jacksonville), known for its horseback rides along the shore.
- Marco Island comes in 6th (south of Naples), teeming with wildlife. It’s the largest of the Ten Thousand Islands—a nickname for the region between Naples and the Everglades, a natural maze of tangled islets perfect for canoeing and paddleboarding.
- Florida Keys drops from 5th to 8th place.
- Sanibel Island ranks 11th (southwest of Fort Myers).
- Captiva Island lands in 15th place (just next to Sanibel).
Ranking criteria include natural attractions (beaches), activities, sightseeing, restaurants, friendliness, and value for money.
It’s worth highlighting the strong performance of the last two islands, which were severely impacted by Hurricanes Ian in 2022 and Milton in 2024. Marco Island’s entry into the rankings is also notable, as it wasn’t in the Top 15 in 2024.
And while grouping all the Florida Keys into a single entry may seem reductive, the global recognition of this iconic archipelago deserves applause.
A Disappointing Showing for Hotels
Among the 100 best hotels in the world, not a single Florida property made the list—while California, New York, and Massachusetts were well represented. This reflects the growing international competition in luxury hospitality, with ever-rising standards. Mexico, Chile, Peru, and Costa Rica each had two hotels in the global top 100, while Argentina and Panama had one each.
Still, Florida’s hotel occupancy rates are on the rise.
In Q2 2025, the average occupancy rate was 72.4%, slightly up from 2024. Budget accommodations and motels lag behind with an average of 65%, peaking during high season (January to March).
It’s the 4- and 5-star hotels that are seeing the strongest demand, with occupancy rates above 80%.
Campgrounds and RV parks are also performing well, often exceeding 85% occupancy in the Keys and the Panhandle.
Notably, hotels in the Keys are outperforming with an 81.3% rate, driven by strong demand for waterfront properties. Miami-Dade hotels follow with 78.9%, and Orlando is also doing well at 75.2%.
Florida Tourism Is Thriving
According to official government figures, Florida captured 15.5% of the U.S. domestic vacation market in 2024—making it the top American destination, up 1% from 2023. This upward trend has continued and strengthened every year since 2019.
And there’s no sign of a slowdown in 2025: a new record was set in Q2 2025, with 34.4 million visitors—the highest ever for a second quarter. Canadian arrivals totaled 640,000 (down 20% from 2024), mostly from Ontario.
This follows a strong Q1 2025, which saw 41.19 million visitors, including 1.23 million Canadians.
