New report says Jacksonville tourism is booming

New report says tourists spent $1.5 billion in Jacksonville in 2013

Jacksonville, Fla. – A new report says the tourism industry in Jacksonville is one of the largest employers in the city.

According to a report, tourists spent $1.5 billion in Jacksonville and the beaches in the 2013 fiscal year.  Visit Jacksonville paid for this research, which was done by Tourism Economics.

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It also found, more than 16,000 people work in the industry, which is a number that is growing faster than the overall job market here.  If they all worked for a single business, it would be the third largest employer in Jacksonville.

The area's top tourist attraction was the Jacksonville Zoo, with more than 1-million visitors over a year.

Through the report, Visit Jacksonville says it can strengthen its tourism numbers through more sporting events and medical tourism.  That in turn means people from out of state coming to Jacksonville for hospital visits or medical conventions.