by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:15 AM ET, Fri May 12, 2023
Tourism officials in Orlando
announced that 74 million people visited the city in 2022, making the Florida hotspot
the most-visited destination in the United States.
According to the Visit Orlando tourism association, the 74
million tourists that arrived in the city was a 25 percent increase over 2021
and 98 percent of pre-pandemic totals recorded in 2019.
“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,” Visit Orlando CEO Casandra Matej said.
In 2022, domestic leisure visitation completely recovered
and reached a new record of 61 million (a 21 percent year-over-year increase),
while business travel is still in recovery mode, reaching 7.9 million last
year.
International visitation recovered to 75 percent of
pre-pandemic totals, reaching 4.9 million in 2022. The top three international travel
origin markets for Orlando include Canada (860,700), the United Kingdom (809,000),
Brazil (575,000), Mexico (394,000) and Colombia (287,000).
“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,” Matej
continued.
To help capitalize on the influx of travelers, Brightline
unveiled its highly anticipated Brightline
Orlando Station at Orlando International Airport on April 20 to a group of
300-plus invited guests, including local dignitaries, elected officials and
members of the media.
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