Gov. Rick Scott announced Monday that Florida welcomed the highest number of visitors during the first quarter of the year with 29.8 million tourists.
The governor's office said this is an increase of 4.8 percent over the same period last year and exceeds the previous high of 28.5 million in the first quarter of 2015.
The average number of direct travel-related jobs in the first quarter of 2016 was also a record high, with 1.2 million Floridians employed in the tourism industry and increase of 3.8 percent from the same period in 2015.
“I’m thrilled that Florida continues to break records in the amount of tourists visiting our state. 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," said Scott in a news release.
"Last year, we exceeded our goal of an historic 105 million visitors because of Florida’s unique national treasures, and I look forward to smashing our record again this year by welcoming 115 million visitors to the Sunshine State.”
@FLGovScott @VISITFLORIDA Its paradise!
— Kim A (@kimieand) May 16, 2016
