Gov. Rick Scott: 24 million visitors to Sunshine State during months of April-June

World's Most Famous Beach, Daytona 500 and Bike Week part of winning formula

Sunbathing tourists in Daytona Beach / Headline Surfer®Daytona 500 fuels tourism / Headline Surfer®Bike Week a tourism staple in Daytona / Headline Surfer®Headline Surfer® videos and photos /
Daytona Beach is vital to Florida's tourism health and the three time-trusted staples are the World's Most Famous Beach, the Daytona 500 and Bike Week as shown in this multi-media package.
 

DAYTONA BEACH -- Gov. Rick Scott was more than eager to have a press release sent out to Florida's daily media outlets on Friday, the day after he visited the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce with promising tourism figures: The percentage of visitors and tourism-related jobs are on the rise.

"According to VISIT FLORIDA's preliminary estimates, Florida has experienced another record quarter for visitation, with 24 million visitors during the months of April-June 2014," the governor boasted.  

The numbers come at a good time for Scott, whose re-election mantra is job creation, having invested $74 million in Visit Florida, the state's key tourism marketing arm.

And Scott certainly has a vested interest with Tuesday's primary looming to see if his likely Democratic opponent in November will be former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist or by some shocker the upstart ex-State Sen. Nan Rich.

"The number of tourism-related jobs was also at a record high, with more than 1.1 million Floridians employed in the tourism industry today," the governor said, adding, "We are well on our way to reaching our goal of welcoming 100 million visitors to the Sunshine State, so let’s keep working to bring even more visitors and opportunities to Florida."

Gov. Rick Scott / Headline Surfer®"The number of tourism-related jobs was also at a record high, with more than 1.1 million Floridians employed in the tourism industry today," the governor said, adding, "We are well on our way to reaching our goal of welcoming 100 million visitors to the Sunshine State, so let’s keep working to bring even more visitors and opportunities to Florida."

The number of visitors in the quarter marks a 3 percent increase over the same three months a year ago.

Visit Florida estimated that 2.8 million overseas visitors came to the state in the three month period this Spring -- 1 million of them Canadians.

Multimedia Q&A: At Biketoberfest 2013

Headline Surfer® interviewed Ralph and Lauren Stewart of Charlotte, N.C., during Biketoberfest 2013 on Main Street in Daytona Beach near the beginning of their weeklong vacation here. Besides the World's Most Famous Beach, they like New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach and Flagler County. They budgeted two grand for the trip and even drove their bikes down rather than trailering them.