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Visit Florida reports record-breaking visits during first quarter

 
David King, left, and Kenneth James enjoy alcoholic drinks at sunset near Caddy's on the Beach on Treasure Island.  (LARA CERRI   |   Times)
David King, left, and Kenneth James enjoy alcoholic drinks at sunset near Caddy's on the Beach on Treasure Island. (LARA CERRI | Times)
Published June 6, 2018

The state of Florida reported an all-time high for visitors in the first quarter of 2018 at 33.2 million people.

That's a 7.2 percent hike over the same period last year, according to Gov. Rick Scott.

"Since December 2010, Florida has created more than 1.5 million jobs, and a large part of this growth is because of the incredible success of our state's tourism industry," Scott said in a prepared statement.

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Visit Florida estimates that 29.1 million domestic travelers came to Florida this past quarter. About 1.4 million visitors came from Canada, a 2.5 percent increase compare to the same period last year.

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Florida broke records last year with a 3.6 percent increase in tourism, meaning the state welcomed 116.5 million people. The bulk of those visitors — 102.3 million —were domestic travelers.

Meanwhile, 10.7 million came from overseas and 3.5 million from Canada.