Jul 21, 2021 - Business

Canadians are ready to come back to Tampa

Ben Montgomery

Illustration of a snowman next to a suitcase with a Canadian flag stamp on it on a beach — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Canadians are ready to return to Florida as their government eases COVID-19 travel restrictions — and nonstop flights between Toronto and Tampa International Airport have resumed.

And Florida responds: It's aboot time!

Why it matters: Canada is the number one international visitor market for Tampa Bay.

Some 436,773 passengers flew between Canada and Tampa in 2019, WTSP reports. In 2020, that number fell to 147,798 because of the pandemic.
🤑 Canadian visitors spent more than $265 million in Tampa Bay in 2019 alone, according to Visit St. Pete/Clearwater.

What they're saying: "Our bet is that this winter, the transport restrictions will be eased sufficiently to start to see a flow of Canadians to Florida," Stephen Jones, CEO of Canadian discount airline Flair, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

"The majority of the Canadians who want to be in Florida right now are not."

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Canadians are ready to come back to Tampa

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