Record 33 Million Visited Florida During First Three Months Of 2018

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) - A record number of visitors came to the state this year.

Gov. Rick Scott announced Tuesday that more than 33 million visitors came to the state during the first three months of 2018. That's a 7.4 percent jump over the same time period last year.

Part of the increase was fueled by growth in the number of Canadian tourists coming to the state.

But the new statistics released by Visit Florida also showed a continued decline in the number of tourists visiting Florida from overseas.

During his time as governor, Scott has pushed to increase state spending on tourism marketing. Some of those efforts, however, were sharply criticized by state legislators.

The Republican-led Florida House has scrutinized contracts Visit Florida signed with celebrities, such as rapper Pitbull and famed chef Emeril Lagasse.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)