tourism statistics in orlando florida

Orlando Announces 74 Million Visitors in 2022, Ranking as No. 1 U.S. Travel Destination

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ORLANDO, Fla. – Visit Orlando, The Official Tourism Association ® for Orlando, announced 74 million annual visitors in 2022. With a 25% increase in visitors over 2021, Orlando maintains its leadership position as America’s most-visited destination. By reaching 74 million visitors in 2022, Orlando achieved 98% of pre-pandemic (2019) levels.

“This past year proved to be a key recovery timeframe for Orlando’s tourism industry, with a lot of pent-up demand from our top U.S. and international markets,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO for Visit Orlando. “Our new international brand launch and strong commitment to strategic sales and marketing initiatives, combined with our destination’s continuous evolution of new unbelievably real experiences, helped Orlando maintain its leadership position and achieve strong visitation numbers.”

Visit Orlando shared the news as part of National Travel & Tourism Week, the annual celebration of the contributions of the U.S. travel industry, to a gathering of more than 900 tourism and community leaders.

The visitation uptick comes off the back of Visit Orlando’s new Unbelievably Real brand launch, first introduced in May 2022 to domestic visitors followed by an international marketing campaign in the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru. The comprehensive campaigns reached 54% of Orlando’s target market households and generated more than $8 billion in additional future direct visitor spending equating to $359 in visitor spending for each dollar of media spent.

In 2022, domestic leisure visitation completely recovered and reached a new record at 61 million, while U.S. business visitation is still in recovery mode:

• Leisure: 61,201,000
• Business: 7,940,000

International visitation recovered to 75% of pre-pandemic, reaching 4.9 million in 2022. Canada, U.K. and Brazil were the top three international origin markets to Orlando.

• Canada: 860,700
• United Kingdom: 809,000
• Brazil: 575,000
• Mexico: 394,000
• Colombia: 287,000

In 2023, Orlando, Theme Park Capital of the World, continues to grow with an exciting lineup of new experiences for visitors to enjoy - from a new eco-friendly, high speed rail service connecting Orlando and Miami to theme park experiences including a first-of-its-kind diabolical family attraction inspired by the Minions to the world’s first surf coaster. For more information go to VisitOrlando.com .

About Visit Orlando     Visit Orlando is The Official Tourism Association® for Orlando, the most visited destination in the United States, Theme Park Capital of the World® and No. 1 meeting destination in the country. A not-for-profit trade association that brands, markets and sells the Orlando destination globally, we represent more than 1,300 member companies comprising every segment of Central Florida’s tourism community.      

Visit Orlando connects consumers and business groups with all facets of Orlando’s travel community, whether for a vacation or meeting. Home to seven of the world’s top theme parks — as well as refreshing water parks, activities to connect with nature, vibrant neighborhoods, a dynamic dining scene with Michelin recognized restaurants, and a robust calendar of entertainment and sports events — Orlando is a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive community for all travelers. Find more information at VisitOrlando.com or OrlandoMeeting.com.     

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74 Million Tourists Visited Orlando, Florida, Almost Reaching Pre-Pandemic Levels

Tourism officials say more than 74 million visitors came to the Orlando, Florida, area last year, a benchmark just short of pre-pandemic levels

Ted Shaffrey

FILE - People visit the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., April 18, 2022. Ongoing strength at its theme parks and an improving streaming business propelled The Walt Disney Co. to higher profits and revenue in its fiscal second quarter in 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — More than 74 million visitors came to the Orlando, Florida , area last year, a benchmark just short of pre-pandemic levels, tourism officials said Thursday.

The number of tourists was 25% greater than it was in 2021, when central Florida was still recovering from the blows to tourism caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted international travel and caused convention cancellations. The area's theme parks closed for several months in 2020 in an effort to stop the virus' spread.

“This past year proved to be a key recovery timeframe for Orlando’s tourism industry, with a lot of pent-up demand from our top US and international markets,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO for Visit Orlando, the area's tourism promotion organization.

The Orlando area had more than 69 million domestic visitors, with most of them visiting for vacations, a segment that has fully recovered, tourism officials said. Business visitors still lagged behind pre-pandemic levels.

There were 4.9 million international tourists, making up only about three-quarters of pre-pandemic levels, according to Visit Orlando. The two biggest sources of international visitors were Canada and the United Kingdom.

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This story has been corrected to fix attribution in last paragraph to Visit Orlando instead of Visit Florida.

Copyright 2023 The  Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Theme park capital: This city is the largest US travel and tourism destination

Home to Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and many other attractions, the city of Orlando, Florida, was named the largest U.S. travel and tourism city destination for 2022 by the World Travel & Tourism Council. 

The city earned over $31 billion last year from tourism, representing 20% of the city's total gross domestic product, the Cities Economic Impact Report by the WTTC said. The destination made a comeback from the pandemic, having earned more than 2019's economic contribution by $2.7 billion. 

Following Orlando was Las Vegas, with a direct GDP contribution of $23 billion. Other major U.S. cities like Miami and New York City also surpassed 2019 level contributions, the report said, proving that these cities "remain iconic destinations."

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"It was a fightback year for cities across the country in 2022. Destinations like Orlando, Miami, Chicago and Las Vegas are back stronger than ever before thanks to the relaxation of pandemic restrictions and a strong rebound of consumer confidence,” said WTTC President and CEO Julia Simpson in a statement.

As of November 2022, Florida saw an increase in visitors – welcoming 104.5 million travelers – more than it saw in 2019. 

Orlando was also the only major city destination to not only have strong spending by domestic travelers but international travelers as well. In 2022, its international visitor spending surpassed its 2019 numbers by almost 20%. 

"Other popular holiday destinations like San Francisco, Honolulu and Washington, D.C., are following suit with growing sector GDP contributions that are well on their way to recovering from peak pandemic lows," Simpson added.

To come up with the biggest tourist destinations for the Cities Economic Impact Report, researchers from Oxford Economics analyzed key travel and tourism metrics, such as contribution to GDP, traveler spending and employment, for 82 cities across the world. The report was sponsored by Visa.

74 million tourists visited Orlando, almost reaching pre-pandemic levels

Tourism officials say more than 74 million visitors came to the Orlando area last year, a benchmark just short of pre-pandemic levels.

More than 74 million visitors came to the Orlando, Florida, area last year, a benchmark just short of pre-pandemic levels, tourism officials said Thursday.

The number of tourists was 25% greater than it was in 2021, when central Florida was still recovering from the blows to tourism caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted international travel and caused convention cancellations. The area's theme parks closed for several months in 2020 in an effort to stop the virus' spread.

“This past year proved to be a key recovery timeframe for Orlando’s tourism industry, with a lot of pent-up demand from our top US and international markets,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO for Visit Orlando, the area's tourism promotion organization.

The Orlando area had more than 69 million domestic visitors, with most of them visiting for vacations, a segment that has fully recovered, tourism officials said. Business visitors still lagged behind pre-pandemic levels.

There were 4.9 million international tourists, making up only about three-quarters of pre-pandemic levels, according to Visit Orlando. The two biggest sources of international visitors were Canada and the United Kingdom.

This story has been corrected to fix attribution in last paragraph to Visit Orlando instead of Visit Florida.

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Orlando Tourism Stats Round-up Post

Orlando is not only a world-famous theme park mecca, it’s the most-visited destination in America. The Orlando area welcomed a record-breaking 75 million visitors in 2018, which secured it a spot among the most popular cities around the world.

The Metro Orlando area is defined as a tri-county region consisting of Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties. The tri-county area covers 2,538 square miles and is home to more than 2 million residents.

Known for its pleasant weather and Disney theme parks, Orlando hosts the largest number of visitors to Florida each year. The city is fueled by its tourism industry, making it a great place to open a travel business.

Here are all the Orlando tourism statistics you need to know before opening your tour business.

How many tourists visit Orlando each year?

Orlando tourists in 2021, orlando tourists in 2020, orlando tourists in 2019, orlando monthly tourism numbers, orlando weekly tourism numbers, orlando daily tourism numbers.

How much does tourism bring to Orlando?

Which Demographics Want to Visit Orlando the Most?

How many americans visit orlando each year, top states that have the most tourists that visit orlando, how many international tourists visit orlando each year, top countries that have the most tourists that visit orlando, how much do tourists typically spend in orlando.

Share of tourism spending / revenue in Orlando by country of origin

How Many Hotel Rooms Are In Orlando?

How many tours and attractions are in Orlando?

Top 18 Orlando Theme Parks and Attractions by the numbers

Orlando became the first destination in the U.S. to surpass 70 million visitors in 2017. Visitation numbers continued rising until 2019.

In 2020, Orlando suffered from a lack of both domestic and international travelers due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As its theme parks reopened and the U.S. began softening its travel restrictions, tourists started to return in 2021.

Now, the destination is back on track to set a new record. During the first quarter of 2022, Florida’s total visitor numbers were up 38% on the same period in 2021. This is excellent news for Orlando, the most-visited city in the state.

Tourism in Orlando began to make a comeback last year. The city welcomed 59.3 million visitors in 2021, compared to just 35 million the year prior. When the U.S. softened its border restrictions in November 2021, Orlando started seeing upticks in international visitors.

Orlando’s visitor count fell to 35.3 million in 2020, a 53% drop off from 2019. This was the lowest number of visitors to Orlando in over 20 years. International travel was down by 75% , largely due to the U.S. travel ban that barred most foreign travelers from entering the country.

Orlando welcomed a record 75.8 million visitors in 2019. 

The Orlando International Airport, the busiest airport in Florida, saw 50.1 million travelers transiting through in 2019.

In 2019, an average of 6 million people visited Orlando every month. The destination’s busiest months — summer and the holidays — likely saw a lot more people, while slower periods could have seen less.

Meanwhile, an average of 1.5 million people visited Orlando every week in 2019.

Here are the number of daily visitors at the top 12 attractions in Orlando. Actual daily visitor numbers might be considerably higher during peak tourism seasons and holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. These figures could also be considerably lower during slower seasons.

• Magic Kingdom — 57,000
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom — 38,000
• EPCOT — 34,000
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios — 31,000
• Universal Studios Orlando — 29,000
• Islands of Adventure — 28,000
• SeaWorld — 12,000
• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon — 6,000
• Legoland   — 6,000
• Disney’s Blizzard Beach — 5,000
• Universal’s Volcano Bay — 4,000
•  Aquatica — 4,000

How much does tourism bring to Orlando? 

Visitors to Orlando bring in over $4 billion in state and local taxes from hotels and businesses. The overall economic impact of visitors in Orlando is as high as $70 billion during a normal year. At its peak, the tourism industry was responsible for over 440,000 jobs.

Orlando’s 2021 rebound was driven by domestic visitors, with business and international tourist numbers still lagging.

The number of Americans visiting Orlando grew by 70% in 2021. Meanwhile, the number of business travelers only grew by about 50%. International travelers have yet to return in full force, with numbers growing only by 25%.

Of the 59.3 million visitors in 2021,  about 50 million were domestic travelers visiting for fun. Another 7.5 million were domestic travelers on business trips. Only about 2.1 million visitors came from overseas.

In recent years, Orlando’s theme parks have noted a larger numbers of spring breakers .

Of Orlando’s 75.8 million visitors in 2019, over 69 million came from the U.S. In other words, Americans made up more than 90% of Orlando’s visitors that year.

In 2020, the number of American visitors dropped to 33.6 million . Yet in 2021, domestic travel rebounded and 57.2 million returned to Orlando.

Domestic visitors by the numbers:

• 57.2 million in 2021
• 33.6 million in 2020
• 69.3 million in 2019

Most of Orlando’s visitors in 2021 came from the U.S. The top origin states for domestic visitors to Florida in 2021 were Georgia (9.5%), New York (9.3%), and Alabama (6.4%).

Of Orlando’s 75.8 million visitors in 2019, about 6.5 million were international . In 2020, that number steeply dropped. Only 1.6 million International travelers visited the tri-county region in 2020. Numbers started to slowly recover in 2021 when 2 million international visitors traveled to Orlando, a 25% increase from 2020.

International visitors by the numbers:

• 2.1 million in 2021
• 1.6 million in 2020
• 6.5 million in 2019

In 2019, 1.2 million Canadians visited Orlando, representing 18% of the city’s international visitors. Canada was the tri-county region’s top international market.

The U.K. was the second top market with 1 million travelers, followed by Brazil with 830,000 visitors, Colombia with 303,000, and Argentina with 232,000. 

As expected, international visitor numbers dropped dramatically across the board in 2020. 

International travel started to pick back up in 2021. About 2 million international travelers visited Orlando last year, and 1.6 million of those visitors came from overseas.

In 2021, Orlando’s international visitor demographic began to shift. Mexico took the top spot with 323,000 visitors, followed by Colombia with 297,000 tourists . Only 79,000 visitors came from the U.K., which used to be one of the region’s top markets.

The average visitor spends $615 per trip to Orlando. Overall, visitors spend a total of about $44 billion , which generates an economic impact of nearly $71 billion.

Share of tourism spending/revenue in Orlando by country of origin 

Tourists from Brazil and China are the top spenders in Orlando. Chinese visitors spend as much as $7,000 per visit, while Brazilians are spending an average of $5,000 .

How Many Hotel Rooms Are In Orlando? 

There were about 129,000 hotel rooms in Orlando in 2021. The average occupancy rate was 57.8% .

Up until 2019, the destination was pushing its tourism industry to new heights, adding more rides and hotel rooms at record speeds. There were 120,000 hotel rooms in Orlando then — the second highest in the nation behind only Las Vegas — and even more were in the pipeline.

How many tours and attractions are in Orlando? 

Theme parks:

There are 10 main theme parks in Orlando. Walt Disney World itself is home to four of these theme parks, including Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. Universal Orlando is home to two more theme parks: Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

Then there’s SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, LEGOLand, and Busch Gardens, which is technically in Tampa but often viewed as a part of Orlando’s attraction mecca.

Large attractions:

There are several more large attractions sprinkled in the mix — including the two most-visited water parks, America Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Both are located within Walt Disney World, where you’ll also find an entertainment, dining and retail Complex known as Disney Springs and three championship golf courses.

Meanwhile, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure each have their own fair share of hit attractions like Harry Potters Diagon Alley and Harry Potters Hogsmeade, respectively. The water park Volcano Bay is also located within Universal.

Smaller tours:

There are dozens of smaller tours available in Orlando, giving visitors a wide variety of entertainment options other than theme parks. The region has a rich ecosystem that gives way to unique ecotourism tours like educational swamp visits and alligator encounters. There are scenic sightseeing tours by bus, trolley, or boat; airboat and kayak tours; walking tours; hot air balloon rides; and more.

Top 18 Orlando Theme Parks and Attractions by the numbers 

Let’s take a look at the 18 most-visited theme parks, waterparks, and attractions in Orlando.

• Walt Disney World receives over 50 million visitors each year, making it the most visited vacation resort in the world. The major attraction is home to four theme parks, two water parks, more than two dozen resort hotels, golf courses, a camping resort, a shopping center, and more.
• Magic Kingdom was the world’s most-visited theme park in 2018, with a whopping 20.8 million visitors.
• Universal’s Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure welcome about 20 million visitors per year between the two theme parks, which are home to extremely popular attractions like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
• Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort welcomed 
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom was one of the top visited theme parks in Orlando in 2019, welcoming nearly 14 million visitors .
• The popularity of Pandora – The World of Avatar helped boost attendance at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Disney World. Visitor numbers soared 10% to 13.7 million during the attraction’s first full year.
• Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park followed with 12.4 million visitors in 2019.
• Hollywood Studios, one of the several theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort, welcomed 11.5 million visitors in 2019.
• Islands of Adventure — one of Universal’s two theme parks — welcomed 10.4 million visitors in 2019.
• Orlando’s SeaWorld sees about 5 million visitors every year.
• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park attracted 2.2 million visitors in 2019.
• Disney’s Blizzard Beach welcomed nearly 2 million visitors in 2019.
• Universal’s Volcano Bay water park sold 1.8 million tickets in 2019.
• The Aquatica water park had 1.5 million visitors in 2019.
• Legoland welcomes 2 million visitors annually.
• SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium has over 5,000 species of sea creatures and is one of the most-visited attractions in the city.
• About 300,000 people visit the Central Florida Zoo every year.
• Discovery Cove welcomes about 1,300 guests per day, making it one of the most popular attractions in Orlando.

These Orlando statistics prove that the destination has a bright future ahead. As the tourism industry recovers, Florida’s top destination is poised to achieve many record-breaking years.

Writer Carla Vianna

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Hospitality Statistics/Demographics Research Guide

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Florida & Central Florida Hospitality/Tourism Statistics - Online Resources

U.s. state/city tourism resources online, florida & central florida hospitality/tourism statistics, u.s. state/city hospitality & tourism statistics.

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• Bureau of Economic and Business Research - Florida Includes population trends, statistics, and limited access to the Florida Statistical Abstract
• U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts Interactive Map Find statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more
• UCF Guides - Statistics, Demographics and Census: Florida
• Visit Florida: Research section Current Florida visitor volumes and economic indicators

• State, Local, and Tribal Governments Links to key contacts in state government. Includes links to state's travel and tourism offices.
• U.S. Travel Association - Research section Contains some city/state statistics

Helpful Tip: The city's convention/visitor's bureau, chamber of commerce, or government website is a great resource for hospitality and tourism statistics and can usually be located quickly through an internet search.

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Florida Tourism Statistics for 2021

By James | Last updated December 28, 2023

This page may contain compensated affiliate links. Please read the Disclaimer for more information

Florida Tourism Statistics for 2021 and early figures for 2022 show that visitor numbers have nearly recovered to their pre-pandemic 2019 numbers despite a very slow recovery from international visitors, especially from Canada.

According to statistics from VISIT FLORIDA Research , record numbers of visitors came to Florida for nine consecutive years in a row between 2011 and 2019, crashed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the various global lockdowns and then started to recover in 2021.

*In 2009, VISIT FLORIDA changed its Florida visitor study estimation methodology; therefore, estimates made prior to that year are not directly comparable. In 2022 they further refined their estimating for Canadian and other overseas visitors

Florida Tourism Statistics in 2021 and 2022

The latest data from VISIT FLORIDA Research has shown that visitor numbers to Florida in 2021 and the first three quarters of 2022 are recovering back towards their pre-pandemic 2019 figures despite a slow recovery from international visitors. Many international markets were prohibited from entry into the USA until November 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the USA.

In fact, Columbia which was not subject to any travel bans with 0.71 million visitors came out on top for all international visitors, beating Canada with just 0.58 million (down from over 4 million in 2019).

Domestic visitor numbers surged with over 117 million (a new record) up 55% on 2020 whilst total visitor numbers increased to 122 million.

Top out-of-state domestic US visitors were from Georgia 9.5%, New York 9.3% and Alabama 6.4%.

The international breakdown by country showed the only gains were from South American countries that were not subject to travel bans (2020 figures in brackets):

• Canada 0.58 million (1.36 million)
• United Kingdom 0.14 million (0.18 million)
• Brazil 0.13 million (0.29 million)
• Columbia 0.71 million (0.17 million)
• Argentina 0.23 million (0.15 million)

Preliminary figures for the first three quarters of 2022 are showing further improvements:

• In quarter 1 of 2022, total visitor numbers were up 38.3% on the same period in 2021
• In Quarter 2 the figures were up 5.6% on 2021 and actually 4.5% up on 2019
• In Quarter 3 total visitor numbers were up 15.3% on 2021

The last two quarters of 2021 also showed an increase on the same quarters in 2019.

Barring further problems, 2022 could well set a new record and put Florida back on top again.

The final 2022 figures are expected in May/June 2023.

How Many Tourists Visit Florida Each Year?

Florida’s great climate makes it a year-round destination for both vacationers and business and leisure conventions. It is also a great draw for college students on spring break and snowbirds during the cold winter months in the North Eastern seaboard.

Over the last 10 years, visitor numbers have for the most part continued to grow.

In 2013 an estimated 94.7 million tourists visited Florida in total, up 3.6% on 2012 and then in 2014 that number grew to 97.35 million, a 2.8% increase on 2013.

In 2015 despite a small fall in international visitors, overall growth was around 6.5% topping the 100 million mark and reaching a record near 105 million visitors. A further 5.9% increase in 2016 saw numbers reach nearly 113 million.

Though international numbers continued to fall, especially from South America, overall 2017 and then 2018 and 2019 were record-breaking years with over 131 million visitors in 2019, despite the impact of hurricanes like Irma and the red tide outbreaks.

Of the major international countries, Canada continued to show growth and Brazil had started to climb again.

These figures demonstrated that for the ninth year running, Florida was still the “Number One” US attraction for holidaymakers with year-round appeal and that it had bounced back following the 2010 Gulf oil spill.

In 2019, domestic visitors still made up the lion’s share at over 116 million, a 3.7% increase, with Canada in second place and the United Kingdom in third place. In 2020, there was a 29.7% drop in domestic visitor numbers, a 64.5% drop for Canada and a 70.4% drop for international.

The biggest change in the last couple of years is the drop in visitor numbers from overseas, particularly in South America, and specifically from Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela. This was partly due to economic and political turmoil coupled with a poor economy and not being part of the US Visa Waiver Program .

For most of 2020 and 2021, the biggest factor was when the global COVID-19 pandemic struck the USA and it effectively went into lockdown, though this varied by state.

Orlando Visitor Numbers in 2021

With its multiple conference facilities and theme parks , Orlando hosts the largest number of visitors to Florida each year resulting in tourism being the largest private employer in the Orlando area.

In recent years theme parks have seen larger numbers of spring breakers wishing to spend time in the theme parks rather than the beach resorts. It is estimated that Walt Disney World receives over 50 million visitors each year, the most visited vacation resort in the world.

Visit Orlando produces annual visitor statistics and they estimated there were 59.3 million visitors to Orlando in 2021 which is a big increase on 2020 with 35.3 million but well down on the record over 75 million in both 2019 and 2018.

The figure of 59.3 million breaks down into 49.7 million domestic leisure visitors, 7.5 million domestic business visitors and about 2.1 million overseas visitors.

The Orange County Convention Center saw nearly 1 million visitors with over 40 million transiting through Orlando International Airport (MCO).

Visitors to Orlando bring in over $4bn in state and local taxes from hotels and businesses.

However, in 2020, that figure crashed to just 35.3 million visitors. International travel was down by 75%, not helped by the travel ban into the USA from so many countries.

Before the pandemic struck, in 2019 Orlando witnessed record-breaking numbers with 75.8 million visitors overall, 69.3 million domestic and 6.5 million overseas making it the most visited destination in the USA, beating New York.

Orlando International Airport maintained its position as the busiest airport in Florida, with 50.1 million travellers to the airport, a 6.7% increase on 2018.

Miami Visitor Numbers in 2021

Though Miami lacks theme parks it still has a lot to offer with great beaches, casinos, cruises to the Caribbean and beyond, culture and the lure of the Florida Keys.

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau publish annual visitor numbers to Miami. In 2021, Miami played host to some 24.2 million visitors matching the pre-pandemic numbers of 2019.

Domestic visitors made up 8.7 million of the overnight guests and 3.4 million of the day trippers plus about 3.5 million Florida residents overnight and the same number of day trippers.

There were around 5.1 million international visitors, the largest group were from Columbia with 0.50 million.

Like Orlando and Florida as a whole, Miami was also hit badly by the COVID-19 pandemic particularly in 2020 with only 11.6 million visitors, 7.9 million overnight and 3.7 day trippers. This was 52% down on 2019.

In 2019, there were estimated to be a record 24.2 million visitors, 16.3 million overnight and 7.9 million day trippers.

In 2018, the figures were 23.3 million, 16.5 million overnight and 6.8 million day trippers.

Below you will find historical figures for Florida for the last couple of years.

Florida Tourism Statistics in 2020

VISIT FLORIDA Research figures for 2020 showed a significant decline compared to 2019, especially in the second, third and fourth quarters.

Overall, quarter 1 was down by 14.5%, quarter 2 by a massive 66.6% and quarter 3 by 31.4%. Quarter 4 figures showed a drop of 31.9%.

Total visitor numbers to Florida in 2020 were just over 79 million of which over 75 million were from the United States.

The international breakdown by country figures showed large losses (2019 figures in brackets):

• Canada 1.36 million (4.09 million)
• United Kingdom 0.18 million (1.33 million)
• Brazil 0.29 million (1.30 million)
• Columbia 0.17 million (0.55 million)
• Argentina 0.15 million (0.56 million)

With the closing of the borders to many countries, there was around a 75% decrease in overseas visitors whereas domestic USA visitor numbers were only down by around 35%.

One of President Donald Trump’s last actions before he left office on January 20, 2021, was to rescind the overseas travel ban that came into effect in early 2020 but before it was due to take effect, new President, Joe Biden, reintroduced it and actually added another country (South Africa) to the list.

So the question “Is Florida open to visitors?” was a moot point as anyone who had been in the following countries in the last 14 days was still banned from entering the United States:

• European Schengen area (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City)
• United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
• Republic of Ireland
• South Africa

These bans were finally lifted in November 2021.

Florida Tourism Statistics in 2019

Total visitor numbers to Florida in 2019 were over 131 million of which over 116 million were domestic travellers from the United States. This represented a 3.8% increase on 2018.

Looking at the 2019 international numbers (2018 figures in brackets):

• Canada 4.09 million (3.55 million)
• United Kingdom 1.33 million (1.50 million)
• Brazil 1.30 million (1.22 million)
• Columbia 0.55 million (0.60 million)
• Argentina 0.56 million (0.65 million)

Overseas tourists showed a 0.1% increase compared to 2018.

In prior years, the United Kingdom (UK) was always top of the international tourist list behind Canada but in 2011 the UK at 1.3 million was knocked off the second spot by Brazil with 1.5 million visitors. Brazil has now slipped back to third place behind the UK.

Comparing these figures from as far back as 2010, the biggest gains in percentage terms came from emerging markets like Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela and Brazil reflecting the impact of the economic downturn in Western Europe.

Florida Tourism Statistics In Previous Years

The breakdown for 2009 was an estimated 71.2 million domestic (US) visitors plus a further 2.6 million from Canada.

Visitors from the United Kingdom were in third spot with 1.2 million down 12% on 2008 whereas Brazil was in fourth place with 0.7 million, up 29%. In 2010 Brazil’s visitor numbers topped the 1 million mark.

Tourists spend over $60 billion per annum in Florida bringing in nearly $4 billion in sales tax revenues (a quarter of all sales tax revenues) and creating over 1 million jobs in the tourist industry.

Another interesting statistic is the amount of money spent by foreign tourists and again Brazilians spent far more per person than say visitors from the United Kingdom, in fact, they spent twice as much, taking advantage of low prices and a favourable exchange rate at the time.

To cater for this increase in Brazilian visitors, all the main theme parks started employing Portuguese-speaking workers and launched websites in Portuguese.

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74 Million Visitors Came to the Orlando Area in 2022, Ranking as No. 1 U.S. Travel Destination

May 13, 2023 | Tourism News , Visit Orlando |

Visit Orlando, The Official Tourism Association for the Orlando area, announced 74 million annual visitors came in 2022. With a 25% increase in visitors over 2021, Orlando maintains its leadership position as America’s most-visited destination. By reaching 74 million visitors in 2022, Orlando achieved 98% of pre-pandemic (2019) levels.

“This past year proved to be a key recovery timeframe for Orlando’s tourism industry, with a lot of pent-up demand from our top U.S. and international markets,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO for Visit Orlando. “Our new international brand launch and strong commitment to strategic sales and marketing initiatives, combined with our destination’s continuous evolution of new unbelievably real experiences, helped Orlando maintain its leadership position and achieve strong visitation numbers.”

Visit Orlando shared the news as part of National Travel & Tourism Week, the annual celebration of the contributions of the U.S. travel industry, to a gathering of more than 900 tourism and community leaders.

The visitation uptick comes off the back of Visit Orlando’s new Unbelievably Real brand launch, first introduced in May 2022 to domestic visitors followed by an international marketing campaign in the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru. The comprehensive campaigns reached 54% of Orlando’s target market households and generated more than $8 billion in additional future direct visitor spending equating to $359 in visitor spending for each dollar of media spent.

In 2022, domestic leisure visitation completely recovered and reached a new record at 61 million, while U.S. business visitation is still in recovery mode:

• United States: 69,141,000 (21% increase year over year)
• Leisure: 61,201,000
• Business: 7,940,000

International visitation recovered to 75% of pre-pandemic, reaching 4.9 million in 2022. Canada, U.K. and Brazil were the top three international origin markets to Orlando.

• Canada: 860,700
• United Kingdom: 809,000
• Brazil: 575,000
• Mexico: 394,000
• Colombia: 287,000

In 2023, Orlando, Theme Park Capital of the World, continues to grow with an exciting lineup of new experiences for visitors to enjoy – from a new eco-friendly, high speed rail service connecting Orlando and Miami to theme park experiences including a first-of-its-kind diabolical family attraction inspired by the Minions to the world’s first surf coaster. For more information go to VisitOrlando.com .

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Editorials | Editorial: Florida should find better ways to…

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Editorials | Editorial: Florida should find better ways to stop financial abuse

But too often, these powerful documents fall into what turn out to be the wrong hands — sometimes strangers, sometimes family or friends. That can result in shocking financial abuse, particularly for vulnerable people who lack close connections to provide oversight. Orlando residents are watching this narrative play out in the case against City Commissioner Regina Hill, who has been indicted on seven felony charges related to allegations that she abused a power of attorney that gave her control of a 96-year-old constituent’s finances. Prosecutors say Hill used that power in suspicious real-estate transactions, and to drain $100,000 from the woman’s bank accounts, spending the money on a  hotel stay, vitamin injections, plastic surgery and other purchases. Hill (who has been suspended from office) maintains her innocence — and may yet be acquitted. But this story is shining a light on the inadequacies in Florida’s elder-protection laws.

Orlando Commissioner Hill’s case part of ‘epidemic’ of elder abuse, experts say

Easy and dangerous

Florida recognizes different types of power of attorney — or POA — contracts. They can grant a limited range of powers or extend over the entire range of a person’s finances. Some expire after a specific amount of time or when certain conditions are met. But others —so-called “durable” power of attorney — don’t expire unless they are canceled by the grantor. Florida also allows for medical power of attorney grants, which give power over health-care decisions to someone else if the grantor can’t make their own decisions.

The thing POAs have in common is this: They are very easy to execute, using standard language found on the internet, and can take force with the notarized signatures of two witnesses. And they can be  nearly impossible to challenge if the grantor can’t make their own decisions. Unlike guardianships (which give the guardian total control of another person’s life) they don’t have to be registered with any court and aren’t subject to any oversight. Theoretically, the grantor can override a POA at any time.

This is by design. Having power of attorney can make it much easier and less stressful for those who are caring for other vulnerable people. But it can also put isolated seniors and others at risk of financial abuse.

That leaves Florida with a serious problem. A legislative bill analysis of the 2023 law that forms the basis of several of the counts filed against Hill cites 2021 FBI statistics on financial abuse of seniors, claiming that 92,000 victims over the age of 60 reported claims that year. Among the states, Florida posted the second-worst record in the nation, with 9,645 victims. Not all those cases involved power of attorney abuse, but many did — and it makes sense that many of the reforms aimed at POA abuse would also stop other kinds of fraud.

This leaves lawmakers with a significant challenge: The state has already increased legal penalties for financial exploitation of elders. What more can they do to protect vulnerable Floridians? The best place to start is to look at other states that have adopted innovations Florida has yet to consider. One good example, backed by the American Bar Association, is a process called Supportive Decision Making, a less-restrictive alternative to POA agreements and guardianships which allows a team of friends, family members and professionals to advise a disabled person in making decisions that best reflect their wishes. This process is authorized in 21 states, and it’s something Florida should consider.

The state could also benefit from a suggestion by the Florida Bar: Give state investigators the ability to look into financial records when they suspect abuse. Under current law, those records can’t be accessed unless the POA’s grantor gives permission. That leads to another likely necessity of increased funding for financial-abuse investigations.

There are no easy solutions here, unfortunately. Many cases of financial abuse are likely to go unreported. Public-information campaigns can fight that, but not always successfully. That doesn’t mean Florida’s leaders should give up. In fact, it should strengthen their resolve to protect vulnerable Floridians whenever possible.

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at [email protected]

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Solar Bears Announce Home Playoff Dates For Second Round

ORLANDO. Fla . - The Orlando Solar Bears have moved on to the South Division Finals to face either the Jacksonville Icemen or the Florida Everblades after knocking out the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in six games in the South Division Semifinal series.

Orlando's second round schedule is as follows: Game 1 - TBD Game 2 - TBD Game 3 - Tuesday, May 7 at 7pm - Kia Center Game 4 - Thursday, May 9 at 7pm - Kia Center *Game 5 - Sunday, May 12 at 3pm - Kia Center *Game 6 - TBD *Game 7 - TBD *if necessary

Tickets for the Orlando Solar Bears 2024 Playoffs, presented by Janney Roofing , can be purchased via Ticketmaster.com and at the Kia Center Box Office.

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