2015 was a record year for local tourism, Visit Orlando says

By Monivette Cordeiro on Tue, Jan 5, 2016 at 4:00 pm

[
      {
        "name": "Ad - NativeInline - Injected",
        "component": "31267952",
        "insertPoint": "3",
        "requiredCountToDisplay": "5"
      },{
        "name": "Real 1 Player (r2) - Inline",
        "component": "31267951",
        "insertPoint": "2/3",
        "requiredCountToDisplay": "9"
      }
    ]

2015 was a record year for local tourism, Visit Orlando says

Photo by Luis Brizzante via Flickr

The numbers aren't in yet, but Visit Orlando CEO George Aguel told Orange County Commissioners Tuesday morning that 2015 was a record year for the local tourism industry.

In 2014, 62 million tourists visited Orlando and Orange County, a record that Aguel predicts will be broken in 2015. The Orlando International Airport was on track to exceed 38 million travelers last year, with a 17.5 percent increase in international air travel.

The number of tourists from Brazil visiting the area increased by 10 percent, bypassing the state, which clocked in at a 4 percent increase, and the entire country, which saw Brazilian tourists decrease by 3 percent, he says. Thirty-three million rooms were occupied in 2015, with the average room rate hitting a record high of $113 a night.

Aguel predicts 2016 will not see as much dramatic growth as this past year, but will still have some progress.