Today, VISIT FLORIDA and the Florida Chamber Foundation announce the addition of metrics to The Florida Scorecard that now track the impact of Florida’s tourism industry on the state’s economy. The new resource will provide detailed, interactive metrics that gauge the monthly activity of key indicators within Florida’s top industry and provide insight into the importance of tourism to the Sunshine State’s business community.

“Tourism is a vital component to Florida’s dynamic economy, and will remain essential to future growth and ensuring Florida remains competitive in a changing marketplace,” said Mark Wilson, President & CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. “The Florida Scorecard will continue to provide not only data, but in-depth analysis of how Florida is performing on tourism and how it contributes to the economy as a whole.”

The new Tourism Indicators tab will inform users on six key tourism metrics:

• Direct Travel-Related Employment
• Tourism/Recreation Taxable Sales
• Hotel’s Average Daily Room Rate
• Hotel Occupancy Rate
• Florida Visitation Estimates - Domestic
• Florida Visitation Estimates - International

Tourism is Florida’s No. 1 industry, welcoming a record 87.3 million visitors in 2011 who spent $67.2 billion, generating 23 percent of the state’s sales tax revenue and employing 1,020,000 Floridians. The hospitality industry, which has led the state in job creation for 20 straight months, provides jobs that not only provide workers with family-sustaining wages, but also offer valuable skills that develop into rewarding careers. Research has shown that every 85 visitors to the state support one Florida job, so increased visitation equates to increased visitor spending and jobs for more Floridians.

“Over one million Floridians are directly employed in the tourism industry, not including the countless other indirect jobs required to support this thriving sector,” said Will Seccombe, President, VISIT FLORIDA. “We are pleased to partner with the Florida Chamber Foundation and The Florida Scorecard so that the business community has a clear understanding of tourism’s impact on Florida’s overall economy.”