tourism

During the Great Recession, the cruise industry canceled or postponed building and introducing new cruise liners trying to conserve cash as passenger traffic was hurt by the sour economy. Now, those ships are entering the oceans and many of them have South Florida ports of call.

  The Netflix TV series "Bloodline" has added millions of dollars to the local economy and employed hundreds of people in the Florida Keys. But a study commissioned by the region's tourism agency says the bigger benefit is in tourism.

  Every year in late October, tens of thousands of people visit Key West for the 10 days of parties and parades known as Fantasy Fest.

It's the island's biggest event of the year, and it fills hotel rooms, bars and restaurants. But it also costs the city more than $280,000 for clean-up and policing.

  The week between Christmas and New Year's is traditionally the beginning of the busiest part of the tourist season. And despite warm temperatures up north, this year looks like no exception, according to Jodi Weinhofer, president of the Lodging Association of the Florida Keys and Key West.

Florida Keys Community College, the only post-secondary education institution based in the island chain, is adding two new associate's degree programs, in Hospitality and Ecotourism Management and in Culinary Management.

The goal is to prepare students to work in the area's dominant industry: tourism — and take advantage of that industry for internships and expertise.  

The best selling rap artist once referred to as Mr. 305 is now a paid ambassador for Visit Florida, the state's tourism marketing corporation. Rapper Pitbull is working on a music video showcasing the state.

Pitbull’s real name is Armando Christian Pérez. He’s a Miami native; his parents emigrated from Cuba. Now he calls himself Mr. Worldwide – since he’s become an international star. Pitbull’s more than 100 million social media followers make him an attractive partner for Visit Florida.

If you drive on Gratigny Parkway this weekend, try not to get too distracted by the wakeboarders soaring through the air at Amelia Earhart Park.

They may be hard to ignore -- they're the best in the country.

Wakeboarders from all over the U.S. are competing this weekend for the Wakeboard National Championships.

The event is a county effort to offer a greater variety of activities at public parks.

  Stretching just over a mile from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, Key West's Duval Street has something for everyone. It's got high-end restaurants and rowdy bars, tasteful boutiques and tacky T-shirt shops. And it's home to some of the island's iconic establishments, like Hemingway hangout Sloppy Joe's and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville.