Updated on May 29, 2023 by Axel Hernborg

Axel Hernborg

Whether you’ve always wanted to pay a visit to the sunshine state or you’re thinking about planning the ultimate family vacation to Disney World or Universal Studios – then you’re making the right choice to visit Orlando.

There’s so much to see and do while in Orlando, and it’s certainly easy enough to see why. Besides all of the immensely popular theme parks, Orlando is home to many top-of-the-range amenities, stunning natural beauty, and plenty of innovatively designed infrastructure.

From its top attractions all the way to the weather, it should come as no surprise to learn that Orlando is the most visited destination in the United States, attracting more than 75 million visitors from all over the world each year. Yes, you read that right.

In this post, we are going to be sharing with you some of the top statistics and trends of the tourism industry in Orlando right now. Let’s take a look below.

Key Facts About Tourism In Orlando

    1. During the first quarter of 2023, tourism officials stated that more than 74 million visitors came to Orlando in 2022.
    2. During 2022, the number of tourists visiting Orlando was 35% greater than it was in 2021.
    3. As of 2023, Visit Orlando has stated that the city is putting out all the stops to attract more visitors to the area. To be more specific, there are plenty of new attractions set to open at Walt Disney World, including the recently launched TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom.
    4. As of April 2023, the incredibly popular fireworks display event held in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom will be coming back after being replaced in 2019. It’s called “Happily Ever After” and fans of the park have pushed for its return since its departure. Due to this, it is expected that more people will attend Magic Kingdom.
    5. As of 2023, international tourism has increased at a faster rate in Orlando than in any other part of the USA.
    6. Metro Orlando is defined as being a tri-country region, as it consists of Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties. Additionally, the Orlando Metro area currently offers more than 120,000 hotel rooms – falling short of Las Vegas.
    7. During 2021, Visit Orlando concluded that 59,201 million people visited Orlando, with 129, 292 hotel rooms rented.
    8. In 2022, Orlando was the largest U.S. travel and tourism city destination and contributed over $31 billion dollars to the US economy.
    9. According to Visit Florida, officials of the organization unveiled international travel figures that stated that, during the final three months of 2022, it was clear that continuing effects of global inflation and lengthy visa-processing times negatively impacted foreign air travelers visiting Orlando.
    10. In the final quarter of 2022, Vice Florida President Dana Young stated that the number of overseas travelers visiting Orlando topped over 2 million, which is the highest quarterly figure since the final three months of 2019.
    11. In 2022, Orlando (and Florida, in general) had around 7.02 million overseas visitors, which is up 23 percent from 2021. However, this figure is 28 percent below the 9.801 million that visited in 2019.
    12. Florida tourism generates around $97 billion for the economy each year.
    13. Approximately 1.6 Florida residents are employed by the tourism industry.
    14. Along with the theme parks, shopping malls (and other forms of shopping) have become one of the most popular activities that visitors to Orlando find themselves enjoying. So much so, that many visitors head to Orlando simply to enjoy all of the many outlets available to them in the State.
    15. On average, it costs around $1,683 per person to spend a week in Orlando. This includes, but it is not limited to, things such as theme park tickets, accommodation, food and more.

Motives And Habits

    1. The Orlando International Airport (abbreviated to MCO) currently provides nonstop service to 150 cities all around the world. Additionally, Orlando airfare prices are considered to be some of the most affordable in the world.
    2. For the most part, the warmer months of the year (March, April, and May) are the preferred time to visit for the majority of visitors to Orlando. Many believe that this is because of the warmer weather that allows for the enjoyment of both indoor and outdoor activities.
    3. In 2020, it was estimated that each traveler visiting Orlando spent a minimum of $655.
    4. Due to the close proximity of all of the leading theme parks in Orlando (Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Studios) it means that those who are visiting Orlando can have plenty of things to do for many days without actually leaving Orlando itself.
    5. Tourists that visit Orlando, on average, do not simply spend their money on visiting the parks.
    6. Along with the theme parks, tourists also choose to spend their money on dining, hotel or villa accommodations, car rentals, shopping, and many other amenities.
    7. Thanks to the climate and warm temperatures that Orlando gets for the majority of the year, many people tend to visit Orlando during the summer in order to make the most of the good weather.
    8. Orlando’s long list of theme parks that are suitable for all of the family to enjoy, as well as the close proximity to many different beaches are some of the main factors that attract tourists to Orlando.
    9. The majority of international tourists that visit Orlando tend to come from Canada and the United Kingdom. To back this statement up, there were 4.9 million international tourists in 2022, and the majority of them were either Canadian or British.
    10. Above all other types of spending, recreational spending is considered to be the most important to tourists visiting Orlando, and includes everything from entertainment, food, and shopping. Of course, theme park tickets also fall under this category.

Additional Tourism Statistics

Orlando Tourism Statistics And Trends

  1. As of 2021, the average occupancy rate for visitors in Orlando staying in hotel rooms had an average daily rate of $121.40.
  2. Visit Orlando is a website that is mainly responsible for the selling, marketing, and branding of Orlando as a popular tourist destination for people all over the world. As well as this, Visit Orlando also serves as the official visitor information source.
  3. Due to the state-of-the-art arenas in Orlando, such as the Amway Center that hosts NBA basketball games and more, it is expected that Orlando will be chosen to host major sporting events in the coming years.
  4. It is expected that Orlando (as well as the rest of Florida) will continue to grow its reputation as being one of the leading locations for tourist fun. Moreso, it is expected that this will go beyond just theme parks and family-friendly attractions.
  5. In 2022, Orlando was crowned as the leading travel destination in the USA, with the tourism industry representing 20 percent of the city’s total GDP.
  6. On average, tourism tends to make up around 18.9% of Orlando’s total GDP annually, although this can vary.
  7. On average, the majority of vacation rentals in the Orlando area are booked consistently for around 41% of the year.
  8. Orlando is considered to be the first destination in the United States that has surpassed an annual amount of 70 million visitors.
  9. With around four out of five visitors visiting Orlando from other areas of the United States, around 86% of Orlando’s overall tourism GDP comes from those visiting the State domestically.
  10. Out of the entirety of Florida, Orlando continues to be the area that offers the most vacation rental markets. But, this doesn’t stop at Florida. At the time of writing this guide, Orlando is one of the most saturated areas of vacation rentals in the world, not only the USA!
  11. It is estimated that Orlando and Florida as a state will continue to dominate in the tourism industry.
  12. Even though Orlando is known for its theme parks and family-friendly fun, Florida is looking to offer a variety of additional attractions suitable for all different types of tourists visiting the area.

The Bottom Line

There we have it. You’ve made it to the end. Now that you have taken the time to read through all that we have talked about above, we hope that we have been able to give you a better understanding of the main tourism statistics for Orlando. Bye for now!

Imagine Orlando | Visit Orlando

References