Orlando saw tourism growth last year, welcoming more than 75 million visitors

Orlando welcomed 75.3 million visitors last year, according to the not-for-profit marketing agency Visit Orlando, signaling a new sign of recovery from a tourism industry hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. At a flashy event last Thursday hosted by the Orange County Convention Center, Visit Orlando celebrated their new tourism numbers alongside Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.

According to the trade association’s latest data, both domestic and international travel to Orlando modestly grew last year, driven in part by daytime visits and overnight stays in non-hotel lodging. Orlando’s tourism industry — bolstered by popular tourist attractions such as Disney World, Universal Orlando, and other major theme parks — altogether contributes an estimated $5.6 billion in local and state tax revenue.

“The people who live here will benefit the most,” Demings touted at the Visit Orlando event, as reported by Spectrum News 13. “The people who work here will benefit because of the countless hundreds of thousands of jobs that are represented within this industry. It creates an opportunity for them to work and grow within their work.”

Although tourism numbers aren’t quite where they were just ahead of the pandemic, last year saw a nearly 2 percent increase in visitation from 2023. Orlando saw the highest number of tourists visiting last year of any year since 2019, when Orlando welcomed 75.8 million domestic and international travelers.

Canadians represented the greatest share of international travelers — 1.29 million — who visited Orlando last year, followed by just under 1 million visitors from the United Kingdom, about 627,000 tourists from Brazil, and several hundred thousand visitors from Mexico and Colombia. Altogether, Orlando welcomed nearly 6.5 million international tourists last year, representing a 5.9 percent increase from the year prior.

Under the Trump administration, however, that could change, amid uncertainty with the new administration’s tariff war, the immigration crackdown and general unease in the current political environment. According to the Orlando Sentinel, at least one Disney-focused Canadian travel agency is already seeing less demand from Canadians looking to book flights and hotel stays near the so-called “Most Magical Place on Earth.”

In addition to the Orlando area’s theme parks, the city is also home to sports teams like the Orlando Magic and Orlando Pride (winner of the National Women Soccer League’s championship last year), as well as a plethora of Michelin-star restaurants and other zany tourist traps (excuse us, attractions) along or neighboring International Drive.

Locals, of course, will have a better understanding of Orlando’s not-so-hidden gems, such as the Orlando Fringe Fest (running from May 13-26 this year), film festivals, local theaters, and Central Florida’s hiking trails. Orlando’s Main Street District program, coordinated through individual main street organizations, additionally offers a continual stream of local events, business highlights, and other happenings throughout Orlando that altogether establish a cozy neighborhood feel and foster connections within the city’s diverse communities.

An uncertain (but hopeful) recovery

Last year’s tourism numbers are likely welcome news for Orlando’s tourism and hospitality industries, despite political tensions, tariffs, and a higher cost of living that continues to price many low-wage workers, families, and older adults on fixed incomes out of the housing and rental markets.

The number of tourists who visited Orlando in 2020 — the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic — dropped by more than half from 2019, hitting the city’s lowest total in over 20 years.

Struggles continued the following year, despite Florida being one of the first to loosen COVID-19 restrictions that forced businesses to temporarily, or eventually permanently shut their doors to customers. Workers in Florida’s tourism industry, including performers, had to learn to adapt to the new normal.

“I have been very fortunate; many of my performer friends are still out of work with no light at the end of the tunnel,” Tony Brent, a longtime entertainer and magician, told Orlando Weekly in October 2021.

In the first five months of 2021, the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization recorded 460 million fewer international travel arrivals than in 2019 — indicating that while the “free state of Florida” was welcoming tourists, other nations were more cautious.

“These numbers represent a devastating impact to our local economy, local businesses, to our friends, to our neighbors and colleagues,” Visit Orlando CEO Cassandra Matej said during a presentation of 2020 tourism numbers the following spring. “That is why the main focus for Visit Orlando is all about recovery, recovery, recovery.”

International travel to Orlando more than doubled in 2022, as domestic travel from within the U.S. and the state of Florida specifically also steadily increased.

“This summer, the Theme Park Capital of the World is evolving with exciting new experiences — including the first new theme park in 25 years [Epic Universe] opening in May — alongside a wave of fresh attractions and major sporting events,” Visit Orlando stated in a press release.

“From world-class attractions and accommodations to diverse dining options and entertainment for every budget, Orlando offers something new to help create the perfect vacation.”

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This article appears in May 14-20, 2025.