Gov. Susana Martinez says tourism spending is on the rise in New Mexico.
Martinez released the latest numbers that show the number of visitors grew by less than 1 percent in 2013, but overall spending was up 7 percent.
With the growth, she says the industry created 1,700 new jobs. Additionally, she says, another 700 tourism jobs have been created through May of this year.
Altogether, Martinez and Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson say the increases represent the third consecutive year of tourism growth in New Mexico, and the second consecutive year of record-breaking tourism growth.
Overall visitor spending has grown more than 24 percent since 2010. Over that time period, officials say, an additional 2.4 million visitors came to New Mexico, with a record 32.2 million people traveling to New Mexico last year alone.
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