Visit Orlando, The Official Tourism Association® for Orlando, proudly announced a remarkable milestone of 74 million annual visitors in 2022. Surging ahead with a remarkable 25% increase in visitors compared to 2021, Orlando continues to hold its esteemed position as the top U.S. travel destination. Reaching an impressive 74 million visitors in 2022, Orlando has achieved an astounding 98% of pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019.
"This past year has been a pivotal period of recovery for Orlando's thriving tourism industry, driven by immense demand from both domestic and international markets," stated Casandra Matej, president, and CEO of Visit Orlando. "Our newly-launched international brand, coupled with a robust commitment to strategic sales and marketing initiatives, along with our destination's continuous evolution of new and unbelievably real experiences, has been instrumental in sustaining Orlando's leadership position and achieving strong visitation numbers."
This exciting revelation was unveiled during National Travel & Tourism Week, an annual celebration acknowledging the contributions of the U.S. travel industry, at a gathering of over 900 tourism and community leaders.
The resurgence in visitation is attributed, in part, to the successful launch of Visit Orlando's captivating Unbelievably Real brand in May 2022, initially captivating domestic visitors and later with an international marketing campaign spanning the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Peru. These comprehensive campaigns have reached an impressive 54% of Orlando's targeted market households and generated over $8 billion in additional future direct visitor spending, translating to $359 in visitor spending for every dollar of media investment.
In 2022, domestic leisure visitation made a complete recovery, surging to a record 61 million, while U.S. business visitation continues its steady recovery:
United States: 69,141,000 (a remarkable 21% increase YoY)
Leisure: 61,201,000
Business: 7,940,000
International visitation exhibited a strong comeback, reaching 75% of pre-pandemic levels, welcoming 4.9 million visitors in 2022. Among the top international origin markets to Orlando were Canada, the U.K., and Brazil.
Canada: 860,700
United Kingdom: 809,000
Brazil: 575,000
Mexico: 394,000
Colombia: 287,000
Looking ahead to 2023, Orlando, hailed as the Theme Park Capital of the World, continues to flourish with a captivating lineup of new experiences, including a revolutionary eco-friendly high-speed rail service connecting Orlando and Miami. Theme park enthusiasts can anticipate new and thrilling attractions, such as a diabolical family adventure inspired by the Minions and the world's first surf coaster. For more information on these exciting prospects, visit VisitOrlando.com, where the magic never ends.
