Tourism in Florida rose 5.1 percent

Tourism in Florida rose 5.1 percent in the third quarter from a year ago, one of the best summers in Southwest Florida's history. Visit Florida, the state's tourism agency, said that preliminary estimates show 20.4 million travelers visited the Sunshine State from July to September. Florida also saw a boost in tourism-related jobs, with an increase of 5.4 percent, or 51,400 jobs, to just over 1 million positions. The biggest jump in percentage terms was overseas travel, which saw an 18.7 percent increase from a year ago, with 2.5 million visitors. There also was a 4.4 percent rise in Canadian travelers, who numbered 420,000 during the quarter. There was also a 3.4 percent increase in domestic visits, which accounted for 17.5 million of total travelers.