Sand, sun, and Mickey Mouse are coaxing more visitors to Florida. The Sunshine State lured almost 95 million tourists last year. It’s the third year in a row the state has posted a record number of visitors.
Florida saw a 3.5% increase in tourists. The numbers don’t include the estimated 20.1 million in-state trips Floridians took last year. Travel-related jobs also reached a record high. Nearly 1.1 million residents are employed in the tourism industry.Gov. Rick Scott says one job is created for every 85 visitors. So he’s asking lawmakers to boost funding by more than 50 percent for the state’s marketing corporation, Visit Florida.
He wants a total of $100 million to market Florida in domestic and international advertising year round.