Florida Hits All-Time Record High for Tourism

And the beat goes on. Florida Governor Rick Scott has reported that Florida has set another record in tourism by welcoming the highest amount of visitors of any six months in the state’s history with 54.1 million visitors.

This record amount of visitors – which included 2.9 million Canadians – represents a 5.8% increase over the year. In the second quarter of 2015 (April-June), 25.8 million visitors came to the state, an increase of 5.5% over the year. The average number of direct travel-related jobs in quarter two of 2015 was also a record high, with 1,213,500 Floridians employed in the tourism industry – up 4.9%.

VISIT FLORIDA estimates that 2.7 million overseas visitors and 1.2 million Canadians came to Florida in quarter two of 2015. Estimates also show that 21.9 million domestic visitors travelled to Florida in the second quarter of 2015, reflecting a 6.8% increase over the same period last year. Preliminary figures for the first half of 2015 show 45.7 million domestic visitors, 5.5 million overseas visitors and 2.9 million Canadians have come to the Sunshine State, representing increases of 6.7%, 1.7% and 1.1% respectively.

“The continued growth of tourism for the second quarter, including a record number of tourism related jobs, puts Florida on pace for a fifth consecutive record breaking year,” said John Tomlin, chair of the VISIT FLORIDA board of directors. “These records also emphasize the power of tourism as an economic leader and job creator for the state.”