Record Number Of Tourists Flock To Florida
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
ORLANDO (CBSMiami/AP) - Sand, surf, fun in the sun and, of course, theme parks - 2015 was banner year for tourism in the state.
During a trip to Disney World on Thursday, Governor Rick Scott announced that 105 million tourists made their way to Florida last year.
That beats the previous high of 98.5 million. And it's the fifth year in a row a record number of tourists came to Florida.
"Tourism plays an important role in supporting our economy, and we will continue to make strategic investments in the tourism industry to keep Florida on track to becoming first for jobs," said Scott in a statement. "With five consecutive record years for tourism, it is time to set our goal even higher, and I look forward to welcoming 115 million visitors to the Sunshine State this year."
The 105 million mark for 2015 beats the goal of 100 million tourists that had been set by Scott, who has pushed for more money for tourism marketing.
While most of the visitors (89.8 million) were from the United States, 11.2 million came from overseas visitors and four million visited from Canada.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)