Sparkling beaches, warm winter temperatures and a wide array of entertainment options make Miami, Florida one of the world's booming tourist centers. The Miami area, which encompasses Miami, Miami Beach and Bal Harbor, is located on Florida's southeast coast. With more than 50 percent of residents foreign-born, this culturally diverse area is also the starting point for many Caribbean cruises.
Tourism is Miami's largest industry. The area boasts almost 350 hotels with more than 42,000 rooms, making it one of the top hotel markets in the United States. More than 12 million people visit Miami annually, 48 percent of which come from international destinations, and spend in excess of $17 billion. The tourism industry employs more than 100,000 locals in the hotel, restaurant and entertainment sectors. Located in a sub-tropical climate, the area enjoys an annual average temperature of 76°F.
Although many think of Miami as one tourist destination, the area actually encompasses several municipalities. The two major entities are Miami and Miami Beach, the latter a long, narrow man-made island just off the mainland. The two are connected by four causeways that span an intra-coastal waterway. The beach is more than 15 miles long and features a boardwalk. The port of Miami is known as the cruise capital of the world.
At the south end of Miami Beach, a line of boutique hotels and restaurants has been renovated to their original 1920s Art Deco style. In fact, boutique hotels are a mini-industry in Miami---the city offers more than 300 of these establishments, the largest number in the world for any one city. In addition to sailing, boating, deep-sea fishing, diving and other water sports, Miami features several family attractions including a sea aquarium and a parrot jungle. Lively Latin music fills the air in Little Havana, along with the smell of Cuban cigars.
Two national parks are located near Miami. Biscayne National Park features mangroves, canoeing and wildlife viewing, but the main attraction is under water. Glass-bottomed boats feature marine life, and divers can explore shipwrecks. Everglades National Park, located southwest of Miami, is considered a World Heritage Site. A sub-tropical watershed, it is home to numerous animals---some endangered. Boat tours are available. For those desiring a more natural experience, Haulover Beach Park, located just north of Miami Beach, is one of south Florida's only clothing-optional beaches.
Seminoles inhabited the Miami area until a series of wars resulted in their movement to the Everglades in the mid 1800s. It was still a mosquito-infested marsh when it was founded in 1870, but once the then-mayor convinced a railroad tycoon to extend its line to Miami in 1895, the tourism industry took off. Two subsequent booms in the 1920s and 1950s made Miami an international destination. It suffered declines in the 1980s, but its popularity soared again in the 1990s partly due to the Miami Vice television series. It had also been the home of other famous television programs, such as the Jackie Gleason Show, a weekly entertainment hour.
