72 Million Tourists in One Year: Orlando Achieves New Historic Visitor Record
l.t.r.: George Aguel, President and CEO, Visit Orlando; Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs; Don Enger, Chairman of the Board of Visit Orlando and Executive Vice President, Tishman Hotel Corporation
© © Visit Orlando
As Visit Orlando, the region’s official destination tourism and marketing organization, has revealed yesterday, 72 million visitors traveled to Orlando in 2017, representing a new record for Orlando (2016: 68 million) and a historic milestone in the US travel industry. It is the first time for a US destination to surpass 70 million visitors. With an increase of more than five percent over the previous year, Orlando once again confirms its position as America’s most-visited destination.
“Our record-breaking year was achieved despite international headwinds and the statewide effects of Hurrican Irma,“ said Visit Orlando President and CEO George Aguel. “In 2017, our destination launched new consumer experiences on a significant scale and our marketing efforts leveraged increasing consumer confidence in the United States. We also continued our focus on communicating the unique emotional connection visitors have with Orlando.“
Also the Orange County Convention Center, where the annual IAAPA Attractions Expo is held (save the date: 13 Nov-16 Nov 2018), featured a new attendance record in 2017 with an unprecedented 1.53 million attendees.
“Orlando’s record-setting visitation affirms the city as a leader in the U.S. travel industry,“ said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “The success in Orlando is great, not just for this iconic destination, but for travel as a whole. As the U.S. overall looks to regain its share of the global travel market, this new milestone in Orlando is a welcome reminder of the resiliency of this industry.“ (eap)
