Gov. Rick Scott announced Monday that Florida welcomed its 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.”
In March, Palm Beach County's tourism marketers asked residents to share their slice of paradise and invite friends and family from out-of-state to visit.
Discover the Palm Beaches said their goal is to continue to boost the county's tourism market.
Last year was a record year for tourism in Palm Beach County, according to numbers tabulated by the county’s official tourism marketing agency.
Nearly 30 million visitors have enjoyed our beautiful beaches and attractions so far this year! https://t.co/IsMyW9Qekn
— Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) May 16, 2016
