Last year was a record one for tourism in Florida, says Florida Governor Rick Scott, with nearly 100 million people visiting the Sunshine State. Visit Florida’s preliminary estimate of tourist numbers in 2014 stands at 97.3million, up 3.9% on 2013 and a fourth year-on-year record.
Scott said: “Florida’s natural beauty, pristine beaches and exciting attractions continue to bring countless visitors to our state and provide valuable jobs for our families. Our tourism industry is vital to helping Florida become the global destination for jobs, and this year we are proposing in our ‘Keep Florida Working’ budget an additional $17.5 million so Visit Florida can market our state and continue our unprecedented growth in visitors.”
Bill Lupfer, chair of the Visit Florida Public Affairs Committee and president and ceo of the Florida Attractions Association, said: “Tourism is the number-one driver of the state’s economy, and we are proud of the Sunshine State’s four consecutive years of record visitor turnout. This means greater revenues for the state, and more than one million Florida jobs supported by tourism.”
