Tourism

No identity conveys Florida’s meaning to Americans and citizens of the world more than its association as a vacation paradise. Annually, 80 million tourists visit the Sunshine State. Millions of Floridians (and the state’s tax structure) depend upon visitors. The history of tourism in modern Florida is a story of stunning accomplishments and enormous costs.

The opening of Walt Disney World in 1971 was the equivalent of a ten-point earthquake; the aftershocks still reverberate today. The significance of Disney to Florida tourism is so profound that one is tempted to classify the old and new eras as B.D. (Before Disney) and A.D. (After Disney). But contrary to popular myth, theme parks existed in Florida before Disney. The theme was purely and unapologetically Florida. Abundantly endowed with pristine beaches, lakes brimming with bass and eternal sunshine, Florida converted nature into dreams. A vacation to Cypress Gardens, Gatorland, or Weeki Wachee underwrote the Florida Dream.