Sunshine Matters

We all know tourism is the state’s No. 1 industry and that every 85 visitors supports one Florida job.  With the release of the latest employment data, here are some new stats you may not know:

• Tourism-related employment grew year-over-year for the 48th straight month in March 2014, marking the fourth straight year of growth
• Tourism-related employment for the month of March reached 1,152,800, an increase of 3.7 percent compared to March of last year
• Tourism-related employment accounted for 18 percent of total non-agricultural employment in Florida during March 2014
• Tourism related employment for calendar year 2013 averaged 1,096,700, an increase of 3.7 percent from 2012
• Tourism related employment accounted for 14.5 percent of total non-agricultural employment in Florida during 2013
• 1 in 5 new jobs in Florida are in tourism

In other great tourism news:

• So far in 2014, Room Revenue is up 8.3 percent, Rooms Sold increased 3.0 percent, Revenue Per Available Room is up 7.9 percent, the Average Daily Room Rate is up 5.1 percent and the Occupancy Rate increased 2.7 percent over 2013 year-to-date levels

As you can see, the Florida tourism industry is enjoying great momentum in 2014. Thanks to the continued support of our industry Partners, Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature, we are well on our way to becoming the No.1 tourism destination in the world.