In the first half of the year, Florida attracted more than 54.1 million visitors, the highest number of any six months in the state’s history, according to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing arm.
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The state is on track to see a record number of visitors this year.
“We are excited to mark the first half of 2015 with our biggest second quarter ever”, said Scott.
“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”, said Scott, in a prepared statement. This included 25.8 million visitors from April through June, an increase of 5.5. percent from 2014. Estimates of 21.9 million domestic travelers in the second quarter reflect a 6.8 year-over-year increase in domestic travel, according to the release.
Visit Florida Chairman John Tomlin said the state has been working on keeping tourism records increasing for over a half decade. “Our bed tax collection is 17 percent higher than last year and we know revenue in June and July have been double-digit growth in the last year”.
For the first quarter alone, officials with Visit Jacksonville reported that year-over-year tourism has increased for 17 straight months, citing Smith Travel Research’s tracking of hoteliers and trends. “This continued growth does not happen by accident”. Florida’s average daily room rate in the second quarter rose 4.7 percent, while hotel occupancy climbed 2.9 percent from the same period in 2014.
Collier County, which markets itself to tourists as the Paradise Coast, also had a strong six months, said Jack Wert, executive director of the Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“These numbers prove that Governor Scott’s leadership, along with support from Florida’s Legislature, ensures a business friendly environment that allows hoteliers, restaurateurs, suppliers and attractions to thrive”.
Hillsborough County is sharing in the celebration, said Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay.
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Tourism and hospitality businesses are a lifeblood industry in Southwest Florida, accounting for the employment of an estimated one in five workers in Lee and Collier counties alone. You can view the Terms of Use on our website.
