MIAMI—Miami is the second-fastest growing destination in the United States for overseas visitors as tourists continue to flock the Magic City. That's according to a report the U.S. Department of Commerce recently issued.
In 2014, the report revealed, international visits to Miami increased by 21%. That's a new record. Overall, Miami had the second most visitors from overseas in the U.S., in front of Los Angeles and behind only New York City.
Noteworthy is the fact that visitors to New York only increased by 2% for the year. Although New York remained firmly in first place, Miami is growing at a much faster rate, evident with the residential condo boom, Millennial migration and arts and cultural renaissance—all factors to attracting world-class hoteliers.
According to Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Alyce Robertson, hotel brands want in on downtown's growing appeal among young professionals and travelers. According to a recent DDA report, downtown Miami's population has doubled to over 80,000 people since 2000.
“The rise of Downtown Miami as an international destination has made hotel brands take notice,” Robertson, tells GlobeSt.com. “With the addition of new attractions and amenities such as Museum Park and the soon to open Brickell City Centre, the timing for new hotel development couldn't be more ripe. Miami's urban core is already home to the highest concentration of four-star hotels in the state, and the new mix of hotels coming to market will round out our offerings nicely for both leisure and business travelers.”
For decades tourists flocked to Miami for its beaches and nightclubs but as an urban renaissance continues to take hold in the Magic City, its center of gravity is shifting and hotel brands are quickly jumping into the action with new projects in the urban core. In fact, this September the highly anticipated opening of the luxury boutique 126-room Langford Hotel will usher in a wave of new hotel openings catering to the growing bevy of travelers to the area.
Over the next two years, more than 12 hotels will open their doors in Downtown Miami, including two SLS-branded properties and introducing more than 2,000 additional hotel rooms to the area. With an additional 8,700 more condo units in the pipeline, over 10 new restaurants, the new Perez Art Museum in its infancy, and the Frost Museum of Science only months away from its debut, people have more reason than ever to visit Miami beyond its sand and surf.
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