Gov. Rick Scott announced that the 29.8 million visitors to Florida during the first quarter of 2016 Monday morning was a new record.
This is an almost 5 percent increase from 2015’s first quarter of 28.5 million visitors. Scott said he was thrilled that Florida continuously breaks records with the numbers of tourists who visit.
“Nearly 30 million visitors have enjoyed our beautiful beaches and attractions so far this year, and a record high of more than 1.2 million Floridians are employed in the tourism industry – which is great news,” he said in a statement before his press conference at the Clearwater Aquarium.
VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, estimates that 25.6 million domestic visitors traveled to Florida during the first quarter, a nearly 7 percent increase from last year.
Florida also saw an increase in the average number of tourism industry-related jobs in 2016’s first quarter. There are 1.23 million residents employed in the tourism industry, which is an almost 4 percent increase from 2015.
