Last year Florida missed the 100 Million tourists a year mark. Not by much, we had 95 Million in 2013, and 89.3 Million in 2012. This year the first quarter came 2% higher than the same period of last year. At 2% we are not going to beat the record, but there are expectations that other quarters would bring more.
100 Million… wow! This is such a huge number. In all senses. It means more jobs, and jobs are great for Florida. It means money to local businesses like hotels, parks, restaurants, marinas, rental car, shops and a cohort of others…
Yes, tourism is not the high paying industry, but better less than nothing and increase of 3.5% to 1,125,300 jobs is a welcome sign of improving economy. Daytona gets a bit more than 8 Million tourists a year, but this number goes from one source to another for a decade now, and I could not verify that it is still correct. Well, if it is, then it means that we are stagnant :)
I read the news about the increase in tourists to Florida, and there was a comment, asking whether governor Rick Scott would claim credit for a terrible winter in the nation. Funny. But not true. Because while 2012 winter was by far not the worst winter on record, the number of tourists to Florida still has increased from 89.3 Million to 95 Million, so while it is politically funny, it is factually wrong.
Good job, governor. Keep it cold and nasty up north… (LOL)
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