Graham McKenzie writes :-
The tourism industry contributed a record $112 billion to Florida’s economy in 2016.
That equates to a 3% rise compared to 2015 according to Visit Florida figures.
"We are continuing to set visitation records in Florida. We hope to continue building on this success by receiving full funding this upcoming year as we work to make Florida the number one global destination," a statement from Visit Florida CEO Ken Lawson said.
"We are continuing to set visitation records in Florida, and new economic indicators show that Visit Florida’s marketing is working. Thanks to the leadership of the governor and Legislature, we’re continuing to see increases in not just visitation numbers, but economic indicators as well."
Spending on lodging was also up just over 3% at $31.8 billion while F&B spending rose 4.2% to $23 billion.
2016 is the latest full year with complete data pertaining to tourism spending.
The visitor economy generated about $11.6 billion in state and local taxes, the agency said.
"Florida’s tourism industry helps support more than 1.4 million jobs across our state and is a major driver in our growing economy," said Gov. Rick Scott.
