From Miami to mainland Florida: How Florida’s   ports are reshaping Latin American Cruise Tourism

With advanced deep-water port infrastructure and excellent connectivity by rail, road and air, the cruise ports of Florida have firmly established themselves to stay ahead of the evolving cruise tourism landscape.

On any given day, there is a lineup of gleaming cruise ships on the ports of Florida. This bustling scene underscores how integral Latin American cruise tourism has become to Miami’s growth and reputation earned as the “Cruise Capital of the World “.

Popular cruise routesto Central and South America have not only brought millions of tourists to Miami’s shores each year, but also help shape the state’s economy and cement its image on the Latin American cruise tourism stage.

Maintaining the “Cruise Capital “ status requires continuous growth and investment as these ports have become a one-stop hub for cruise vacations, especially for voyages to the Americas and the Caribbean.

Again, the success has attracted growing competition from neighbouring states like California and those on the Eastern Seaboard like New York, which are eager to replicate Florida’s achievements by making substantial investments in their port infrastructure.

To avoid losing ground to others, Miami opened a state-of-the-art 492,000 square feet cruise terminal in 2025, besides the ten others already in operation in the state, that can cater up to 36,000 passengers in a single day.

This modern cruise terminal, designed for specific cruise lines, allows Miami to berth the newest and best liners in the cruise industry, in order to ensure that Florida becomes the first choice for cruise travelers.

Traffic at Miami’s ports have broken all records, further solidifying Miami’s global ranking in the cruise sector. In 2024 alone, 8.23 million passengers passed through the cruise terminals of Miami, the highest ever recorded.

The figure marked a significant jump from the 7.3 million passengers recorded in 2023, which itself was a record. This indicates the robust expansion of cruise tourism in Florida by outpacing all competitors.

Next consider the economic impact. During 2023-2024 cruise season, tourism to just Latin America and the Caribbean generated $4.27 billion in direct revenue, a 27% increase from the previous record set in 2018.

The average spending per passenger also increased to most destinations to about $104.36 which saw a spurt in wages to the extent of $1.27 billion in salary income alone.

In 2024, 33.3 million cruise passengers, including crew, made onshore visits to 33 Caribbean and Latin American destinations and paved the way for 94,000 new jobs.

These studies do not include supplies purchased by tour operators, restaurants, port authorities and spendings by cruise passengers who return as stay-over guests.

They fill-up hotel rooms, dine in local restaurants and shop in the local markets which represent visitors to a city itself. Others tend to enhance the cruise experience by extending days, pre or post voyage.

This pre and post cruise tourism results in  a massive influx of visitors in a city, generating significant revenue all the year round, boosting local businesses and catalyzing urban development projects to support this huge entry of travelers.

With four departure ports of Port Canaveral, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa to choose from, a cruise from Florida offers a diverse range of itineraries.

From short sailings to the Bahamas to week long jaunts to the Caribbean, Panama and places like the Canary Islands and the Azores, you can plan a cruise vacation anytime of the year from Florida.

Not only has this helped the world visualise Florida as an international getaway, but also as a destination which has bolstered economies of countries worldwide through cruise tourism.