Gov. Scott Reports Florida Tourism Booming

By  //  February 19, 2013

CENTRAL FLORIDA MAJOR ECO-TOURISM DESTINATION

ABOVE VIDEO: Guided nature tour by Florida native and owner of Titusville’s Dixie Crossroad, Laurilee Thompson through such prime spots as the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Cape Canaveral Seashore and Indian River Lagoon. (FloridaSpaceCoast)

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Florida Governor Rick Scott announced yesterday that 89.3 million visitors vacationed in the Sunshine State last year – an increase of more than 2.3 percent, or an additional two million tourists who visited the state in 2011.

According to Scott, the Florida tourism industry employs almost 1.1 million Floridians who have “direct travel related jobs.

Brevard County is an Eco-Tourism hub of Florida. Click on the above video to enjoy a guided nature tour by Florida native and owner of Titusville’s Dixie Crossroad, Laurilee Thompson through such prime spots as the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Cape Canaveral Seashore and Indian River Lagoon. (wildbirdonthefly.blogspot.com image)

“Welcoming two million more visitors in 2012 marks the second consecutive record year for tourism in the Sunshine State,” said Scott.

“With the hospitality sector ending the year up 30,300 jobs, it’s clear that more visitors means more jobs for Florida families. Our economy is headed in the right direction and with our Florida Families First Budget commitment of $75 million in funding to support VISIT Florida, we will continue to support even more economic growth.”

Florida is leading the rest of the U.S. tourism market by .3 percentage points, according to Smith Travel Research, a company that that tracks supply and demand data for the hotel industry and provides market share analysis for all major hotel chains and brands in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

FOREVER FLORIDA ECO-TOURISM MAJOR USA ATTRACTION
Florida EcoSafaris at Forever Florida provides an entirely new category of theme park for Florida adventurers and Orlando visitors – the EcoPark. The new EcoPark Admission Ticket at the popular Central Florida ecotourism attraction will allow for a full day of adventures.

VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, estimates that 10.2 million overseas visitors and 3.6 million Canadians came to Florida in 2012, both of which are record highs and represent 9.0 percent and 7.3 percent increases over 2011 respectively. Estimates reflect a 1.2 percent increase in domestic visitors to Florida in 2012 and show that Floridians took a total of 20.3 million in-state pleasure trips.

Glenn Hastings

“Surpassing the 10 million overseas visitor mark for the first time ever is a significant milestone for Florida’s tourism industry,” said Glenn Hastings, Chairman of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors and Executive Director of the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council.

“With over 10 percent of all Canadians traveling to Florida last year, we are exceedingly grateful for the loyalty of our friends and family to the North.”

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