Governor Rick Scott has announced that Florida set another record in tourism numbers by welcoming the highest amount of visitors of any quarter in the state’s history according to Visit Florida. In the first quarter of 2015 (January-March), 28.4 million visitors came to the state, an increase of 6.2 per cent over the same period in 2014. The previous high for a quarter for tourism was 26.7 million visitors in quarter one last year. The average number of direct travel-related jobs in quarter one of 2015 was also a record high, with 1,186,900 Floridians employed in the tourism industry- up 4.8 per cent from the same period in 2014.
Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce that the Sunshine State continued our record breaking success and welcomed the most visitors of any quarter in Florida’s history. Our growing tourism industry employs over one million Floridians and is helping us meet our goal of becoming the global destination for jobs. We are excited to start 2015 off with our biggest quarter ever, which puts us on pace to exceed our goal of 100 million visitors to Florida this year.”
Visit Florida estimates that 2.9 million overseas visitors and 1.7 million Canadians came to Florida in quarter one of 2015, both of which are record highs and represent 7.1 per cent and 1.2 per cent increases over quarter one of 2014 respectively. Estimates also show that 23.8 million domestic visitors travelled to Florida in quarter one of 2015, reflecting a 6.5 per cent increase over the same period last year.
Andrew Hertz, chair of the Visit Florida board of directors said, “Experiencing the largest quarter for tourism in our state’s history, including and especially a record number of tourism-related jobs, proves that tourism continues to be a vital force in Florida. These records also emphasise the power of tourism as a way to sustain Florida’s economic growth.”
Tourism and recreation taxable sales for Florida increased year-over-year for January and February 2015 (last reported month), representing a 10 per cent increase over the same period in 2014. For quarter one of 2015, the average daily room rate (ADR) rose 7.6 per cent, the occupancy rate for Florida hotels increased 3.7 per cent and the demand in rooms sold grew 5.1 per cent compared to quarter one of 2014.
Will Seccombe, president and CEO, Visit Florida said, “With all indicators continuing to climb, Florida tourism has strong momentum. In addition to the record visitation, our market share is outpacing the rest of the nation, putting us well on our way to making Florida the No. 1 travel destination in the world.”
John Tomlin, vice chair, Visit Florida board of directors and chief operating officer for The Auto Club Group said, “Achieving record visitation for the first quarter of 2015 provides strong momentum towards our goal of bringing 100 million visitors to Florida this year. Florida is fortunate to have the strong support of Governor Scott and the Legislature, as well as increased funding matched by dollars from great industry partners. This support allows Visit Florida to reach even more markets and potential visitors with compelling reasons to visit Florida and create memories for a lifetime. With continued support, the Sunshine State is poised to become the No. 1 travel destination in the world.”