Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

Broward County’s star continues to rise, with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau reporting that the destination welcomed a record-breaking 14.3 million visitors last year, which represents a 5 percent increase over 2013 figures and outpaces Florida’s average annual growth of 3.9 percent

“We are thrilled to contribute so significantly to the overall growth of Florida’s tourism industry,” said Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Of the 97.3 million tourists that visit the entire state of Florida each year, 15 percent of those are coming to Greater Fort Lauderdale.”

The number of international visitors alone rose by 26 percent, thanks in part to new air service offered by four Latin American carriers and the expansion of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which included a new runway.

Going forward, the destination is continuing to outpace its Floridian counterparts in terms of hotel occupancies, experiencing its highest levels ever for January and February at 85.9 percent and 93 percent, respectively. Its average daily room rate rose to $129.94, up 6.3 percent last 2013.

On the hotel front, 1,000 new hotel rooms will be added to the Greater Fort Lauderdale area in the next two years, representing an investment of $704 million. New properties coming online include the Gale Boutique Hotel & Residences, Meliá Costa Hollywood, Conrad, the Four Seasons, the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort, Hyde Resort & Residences, and Beachwalk in Hallandale Beach

The destination is also undergoing significant growth on the cruise front, welcoming 4,001,554 passengers last year, which represents an increase of 12.4 percent over 2013.

Follow @claudettecovey