For fifth year, Orlando breaks record for number of tourists
Last year was another for Orlando’s record books.
Orlando welcomed 62 million visitors in 2014, surpassing the previous high of 59 million visitors set in 2013, according to Visit Orlando, the region’s tourism association.
“We … don’t take any of this for granted,” said George Aguel, Visit Orlando’s president and chief executive officer. “We consistently realize we have to be growing in the global marketplace.”
It’s the fifth consecutive year Orlando has broken its own record.
In another record set during 2014, bed-tax collections hit more than $200 million for the first time in Orange County, Visit Orlando officials said — with 32 million room nights sold.
Visit Orlando officials, who announced the year’s tourism figures Thursday during a news conference in New York, said the region is the first in the
United States to surpass 60 million visitors.
“Passing the 60 million annual visitors mark is a significant achievement for Orlando and the U.S. travel industry that generates $2.1 trillion for the U.S. economy each year,” U.S. Travel Association President and Chief Executive Officer Roger Dow said in a release.
Two key openings helped lure visitors here last year: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando and the new Fantasyland at Walt Disney World.
The region’s theme parks still have room to expand, and Aguel expects many more years of revamping even outside the parks.
“That helps repeat visitors coming back,” he said. “It remains a high priority.”
The economic impact of all 62 million visitors has not yet been officially calculated, but Visit Orlando officials estimate the spending to top $60 billion. Visitors in 2013 spent an estimated $57 billion.
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said that money can be reinvested back into the community to help build a better quality of life with new venues and entertainment options, including the updated Citrus Bowl and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
“All of these things are possible because of the strength we have in tourism,” she said.
Americans accounted for nearly 54.4 million of the region’s 2013 visitors, according to records.
Thursday’s numbers are a far cry from those in 2009, a year when Orlando lost business. During the recession, Orlando’s tourism numbers dipped from 48.8 million visitors in 2008 to nearly 46.6 the next year.
Since then, however, Orlando has slowly recovered and outpaced some tough competitors.
The region’s tourism figures widened the gap with New York, which welcomed 56.4 million visitors last year, according to a report earlier this year from city tourism authority NYC & Company.
New soon-to-be-open attractions along International Drive, such as the Orlando Eye in the I-Drive 360 entertainment complex, should be big draws for tourists, Visit Orlando leaders said.
Dr. Duncan Dickson, associate professor at the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality, said tourism industry officials must “be vigilant” to ensure Orlando keeps its competitive edge.
“You always have to be wary,” he said. “You always have to worry about your competition out there.”