Gov. Rick Scott announced on Wednesday that Florida tourism continued to boom with a record-high number of guests visiting the Sunshine State in the first half of the year.
Scott pointed to Visit Florida’s numbers showing 54.1 million visitors in the first six months of 2015, up almost 6 percent from 2014. This included 25.8 million visitors from April through June, an increase of 5.5. percent from 2014. The growth in tourism has led to more jobs with more than 1.2 million Floridians employed in the tourism industry, up almost 5 percent from last year.
“I am proud to announce the Sunshine State continued our record-breaking success and welcomed the most visitors in Florida’s history over the first half of the year,” Scott said on Wednesday. “Our growing tourism industry employs over 1.2 million Floridians and is helping us meet our goal of becoming the best place in the world for jobs. We are excited to mark the first half of 2015 with our biggest second quarter ever, and we look forward to exceeding our goal of 100 million visitors to Florida this year.”
Most of those 54.1 million visitors travel to Florida from other parts of the U.S., with 45.7 million domestic tourists, 2,9 million Canadians visiting the Sunshine State and 5.5 million overseas visitors. The number of domestic tourists has grown 6.7 percent from last year while the number of overseas tourists went up 1.7 percent. Canadian tourism growth has been slower but still increased 1.1 percent from last year.
“With all indicators continuing to climb, Florida tourism has strong momentum,” said Will Seccombe, the president and CEO of Visit Florida, on Wednesday. “This continued growth does not happen by accident. We know tourism marketing works and we have Gov. Scott and the Florida Legislature to thank for their unparalleled support that has put us well on our way to making Florida the No. 1 travel destination in the world.”
The tourism boom has also resulted in more revenue for the state government, with a 9 percent increase in tourism and recreation taxable sales during the first five months of 2015 from the same period in 2014. Hotel occupancy and the average daily room rate (ADR) are also up from last year.
Leaders from the business community praised Scott’s record and insisted Florida was leading the nation on tourism.
“Florida is continuing to break the mold by setting record-breaking trends that prove our state leads the way in hospitality and tourism,” said Carol Dover, the president and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “These numbers prove that Gov. Scott’s leadership, along with support from Florida’s Legislature, ensures a business-friendly environment that allows hoteliers, restaurateurs, suppliers and attractions to thrive. We were proud to help provide incredible guest experiences in the first half of the year and can’t wait to welcome even more visitors to the Sunshine State throughout the rest of the year.”
“Florida’s outstanding attractions and iconic destinations have a lot to be proud of, and this record second quarter means we are on track for what is sure to be another stellar year,” said Bill Lupfer, the president and CEO of the Florida Attractions Association. “As we continue to shatter industry records and make the Sunshine State the gold standard for tourism across the country and around the world, we are grateful for the hard work of our industry partners and the support of Gov. Scott and the Florida Legislature.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
