While many travellers on cheap flights to Miami are destined for the white sands of South Beach and Biscayne Bay, thousands more are flying on to the Caribbean, Central and South America, or to board cruise liners in search of sun on the open seas from the city’s port. Simply put, Miami is the gateway to the Americas. Just 100 years old, Miami offers something for all travellers. Canadian snowbirds flock here to escape harsh Northern winters, many Cubans have made the bustling city home in search of new opportunities, business travellers fly here as it is a major centre for corporate finance, young revellers come to party, and beach goers come for Miami's superb beach-and-climate combo. Miami is also known for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water and neat streets. In fact, it was even named "America's Cleanest City" by Forbes Magazine in 2008.
Many of South Beach's iconic Art Deco buildings have been converted into stylish boutique hotels since the 1990s, and the bigger hotels have since followed suit. Fashionistas and artists have flooded the area in recent years, turning South Beach into a destination for holiday travellers. Offering natural wonders, the Miami area boasts two national parks: Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S. and Biscayne National Park is the only living tropical reef within the continental U.S. The newest addition to the Miami arts scene is the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the second-largest performing arts centre in the US and home to the Florida Grand Opera. A popular destination for sports fans flying to Miami, the city hosts four major sports teams: the Miami Dolphins of the NFL, Miami Heat of the NBA, Florida Panthers of the NHL, and Florida Marlins of the MLB.
