Once upon a time – if you stayed in town for the summer – tables were easy to get, the streets were never jammed, and you enjoyed a 3-month respite from the tidal wave of visitors that stream into Miami every month.  Not anymore.  Tourism this summer is running only about 10% less than high-season months, according to the Miami Visitor and Convention Bureau.  Tourism is Miami’s #1 industry, and all this additional traffic is a welcome boost to hotels, restaurants and retailers.  Miami Beach gets about 10 million visitors a year, and Miami ranks 5th among all U.S. tourist destinations.

Top U.S. Cities – Ranked by Annual Tourism:

1.  Orlando, FL             48,000,000 visitors annually
2.  New York City         47,000,000 visitors annually
3.  Chicago                  45,580,000 visitors annually
4.  Anaheim, CA           42,700,000 visitors annually
5.  Miami                     38,100,000 visitors annually

Source:  Forbes