Visit Orlando Gets Multimillion-Dollar Marketing Budget Cut

Visit Orlando will have to work with a reduced marketing budget in 2025.

One of the largest tourist boards in the country, Visit Orlando lost $15 million from its budget as a result of a recent vote of the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

The money trimmed from Visit Orlando’s budget is instead being directed to local projects. About $10 million from the organization’s budget cut will go toward a local Sport Incentive Fund, while $5 million will be directed toward local arts and cultural projects, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

While the $15 million cut from Visit Orlando’s budget may seem steep, some Orange County commissioners had actually hoped for a more significant reduction of the marketing organization’s budget.

The trimmed funding isn’t the only change Visit Orlando will face. A county commissioner will now be part of the marketing decision-making board. In addition, a comptroller will audit the agency.

All of the changes are the result of a year-long discussion about how profits from a local 6 percent surcharge on hotel rooms and short-term rentals in the county will be allocated.

Visit Orlando expressed relief that the cuts to its budget were not even more severe. “Today was a successful step forward with our negotiations with Orange County around Visit Orlando and our funding,” Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, said per the Orlando Sentinel.

Orlando’s marketing budget for 2024 is $100 million, making it one of the largest marketing budgets nationwide.

More than 74 million people visited the city in 2022, making the Florida hotspot one of the most-visited destinations in the United States.

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