FL Tourism Up Over 2000

TAMPA BAY, FL— Visit Florida, a not-for-profit corporation that markets Florida tourism, reported the number of U.S. visitors to Florida rose 11.2%, to 19 million, in the first quarter of 2001 as compared to the same period in 2000, which saw only 17.2 million visitors. According to AAA Auto Club South, prices for meals and lodging, in Florida, rose less than 2% during the past year, shaking the national average increase of 5%. Meals and lodging for a four-person family in Florida last year averaged $248 and will cost only $252 this year, said the organization.