The
first nine months of 2015 were the busiest in the history of Florida’s tourism
industry, according to a Visit Florida estimate.
The
Sunshine State welcomed some 79.1 million visitors through Sept. 30 of this
year, an estimated 5.5% increase over 2014. During the July through September
third quarter alone, an estimated 25.5 million visitors came to Florida, up
6.8% from last year. The third quarter growth was driven by an estimated 8.2%
increase in domestic tourists.
The
numbers keep the state on track to crack the 100 million-visitor threshold for
the first time in its history, a projection Visit Florida made at the halfway
point in the year. It would also make this the fifth-straight record-breaking
year in Sunshine State history.