Sunshine Matters

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

• Tourism-related employment grew year-over-year for the 60th straight month in March 2015, marking the fifth straight year of growth
• Tourism-related employment for the month of March reached 1,216,600, an increase of 4.9 percent compared to March of last year
• Tourism-related employment accounted for 19 percent of total non-agricultural employment in Florida during March 2015
• Tourism-related employment for calendar year 2014 averaged 1,145,800, an increase of 4.4 percent from 2013
• Tourism-related employment accounted for 14.6 percent of total non-agricultural employment in Florida during 2014
• 1 in 5 new jobs in Florida are in tourism

In other great tourism news:

• Through March 2015, Room Revenue is up 13.0 percent
• Rooms Sold increased 5.1 percent
• Revenue Per Available Room is up 11.5 percent
• Average Daily Room Rate is up 7.6 percent
• Occupancy Rate increased 3.7 percent over 2014 year-to-date levels

As you can see, the Florida tourism industry is enjoying great momentum in 2015. 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.