Florida Tourism Numbers Break Records

CLEARWATER, FL — Whether it’s the sunshine and beaches, theme parks and attractions – or perhaps a combination of these things and more – that’s drawing tourists to Florida, state figures show they’re coming in droves.

The first quarter of 2016 was a record breaker, according to figures released by Gov. Rick Scott’s office Monday. The state estimates 29.8 million tourists paid Florida a visit in the first three months of the year. That number breaks the previous high of 28.5 million recorded in the first quarter of 2015.

Courtesy of the surge in tourism, the state’s tourism-related jobs are also up to record-breaking levels. The total employment in the industry in the first quarter was estimated at 1,231,000. That’s up by 3.8 percent from the same time frame in 2015, the state noted in its release of data.

“I’m thrilled that Florida continues to break records in the amount of tourists visiting our state,” Scott said in a statement.

Visit Florida estimates that many of the tourists that helped the state break records came from other parts of the country. The figure, in fact, is estimated at 25.6 million domestic visitors, according to Visit Florida.

“It is great news that nearly 30 million visitors have already come to Florida this year,” State Sen. Jack Latvala , R-Clearwater, said in the statement. “We want Florida to be the number one travel destination worldwide, and we will continue to support our tourism industry in order to meet that goal.”

Patch file photo