Florida tourism

The president and CEO of Visit Florida said the agency will continue to expand its marketing efforts and encourage tourists to vacation in Florida this winter.

The Carnival Freedom, with an undisclosed number of cases, and Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas, with at least 60, returned to their Florida ports on Sunday.

The theme park says masks will be required at all public indoor locations and at all attractions from the moment guests enter the lines to when they leave.

Tourism officials are slightly lowering expectations through the middle of 2022 for Canadian and overseas travelers, along with looking at the impact on the state's economy.

The requirements set by the Biden administration take effect Nov. 8 and cover approved vaccines, exceptions for the unvaccinated and protocols after arrival.

The August decline at Tampa International follows a strong summer that saw a rebound in air travel. Meantime, Orlando International expects an increase in traffic from last year's Labor Day holiday.

More visitors are coming to the state as the 2021 numbers from April 1 through June 30 were just 2.2% below where the state was in 2019.

The new estimates by Visit Florida included a revision of the overall numbers for 2020 that indicates the COVID-19 pandemic was worse on the leisure and hospitality industry than previously projected.

Panama City Beach is limiting the number of people who may gather together on the sand during spring break. It's the only pandemic-related restriction in place at the start of the busy month for tourism.

A recent AAA survey found enthusiasm for travel is still down almost a year into the coronavirus pandemic.