Greater Fort Lauderdale on the Rise

Fort Lauderdale is hot, insiders said at a press conference yesterday in Manhattan.

Last year Greater Fort Lauderdale had the highest visitor occupancy in the state, at 80%. The former Spring Break hotspot is now being transformed into a destination for all ages, with high- end resorts such as the Four Seasons and the Ritz Carlton, which sits on the original location where the “Wet T-shirt Contest” was invented. Also new to the beachfront in Fort Lauderdale is the $147 million, 349-room Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort added to the boardwalk.

Transportation
A $2.3 billion expansion and runway extension at the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport leads the list of renovations designed to “let travelers know that when they land, they are somewhere special,” said Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Another $1.6 billion is being invested in capital improvements to accommodate a forecast 5.6 million annual passenger moves by 2033.

On the water, meanwhile, the ability to travel through inland canals has given Greater Fort Lauderdale the nickname the “Venice of America.” Port Everglades has been ranked as one of the top three cruise ports in the world; it 2014 it saw four million passengers.

And on the rails, the Bright High Speed Railway is set to be completed by 2017. It will connect travelers to four major cities in Florida–Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando—along a 235-mile route. The trip from Miami to Orlando will take just three hours.

Financial Bliss
The biggest influence on the increased development in Fort Lauderdale, Grossman said, is the wealth of the travelers who visit here. The average annual income of domestic travelers is $112,563, almost 25% higher than the national average. More than $704 million in hotel development is the result.

LGBT Destination
Among its claims to fame is the openness of the Fort Lauderdale community to LGBT travelers. Where until now the first two took precedence, Fort Lauderdale now is focusing on the transgender market.

“We have long understood gay and lesbian travelers, but we recognize now is the time to emphasize the importance of the transgender market and ensure it is not forgotten,” said Richard Gray, managing director for the LGBT market at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. GFLCVB issued one of the first and largest surveys in North America to identify the travel motivations, needs, and priorities of the market in 2014. It found that the city has the highest concentration of same-sex couple households in the nation, and is the destination of choice of the LGBT community because of its gay-owned and -operated businesses.

According to Grossman Greater Fort Lauderdale has undergone a lot of changes “new skyline, new vibe, energetic, active place to participate.”