NAPLES, FL — Florida set another record in tourism numbers by welcoming the highest amount of visitors of any quarter in the state’s history according to Visit Florida including a record number of Canadians.

In the first quarter of 2015 (January-March), 28.4 million visitors came to the state, an increase of 6.2% over the same period in 2014. The previous high for a quarter for tourism was 26.7 million visitors in quarter one last year. The average number of direct travel-related jobs in quarter one of 2015 was also a record high, with 1,186,900 Floridians employed in the tourism industry, up 4.8% from the same period in 2014.

Governor Rick Scott said “We are excited to start 2015 off with our biggest quarter ever, which puts us on pace to exceed our goal of 100 million visitors to Florida this year.”

Visit Florida estimates that 2.9 million overseas visitors and 1.7 million Canadians came to Florida in quarter one of 2015, both of which are record highs and represent 7.1% and 1.2% increases over quarter one of 2014 respectively.

Estimates also show that 23.8 million domestic visitors travelled to Florida in quarter one of 2015, reflecting a 6.5% increase over the same period last year.

“Experiencing the largest quarter for tourism in our state’s history, including and especially a record number of tourism-related jobs, proves that tourism continues to be a vital force in Florida,” said Andrew Hertz, Chair of the Visit Florida Board of Directors. “These records also emphasize the power of tourism as a way to sustain Florida’s economic growth.”

Tourism and recreation taxable sales for Florida increased year-over-year for January and February 2015 (last reported month), representing a 10.0% increase over the same period in 2014. For quarter one of 2015, the average daily room rate (ADR) rose 7.6%, the occupancy rate for Florida hotels increased 3.7% and the demand in rooms sold grew 5.1% compared to quarter one of 2014.