Officials have announced a historic milestone in the travel industry, as Orlando became the first US destination to surpass 70 million annual visitors.
In 2017, 72 million visitors travelled to Orlando, an increase of more than five per cent over the prior year, once again making it America’s most-visited destination.
“Our record-breaking year was achieved despite international headwinds and the state-wide effects of Hurricane Irma,” said Visit Orlando president, 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.”
Visit Orlando, the region’s official destination tourism and marketing organisation, shared the number today at a special gathering of more than 1,000 tourism and community leaders.
“Orlando’s record-setting visitation affirms the city as a leader in the U.S. travel industry,” said US Travel Association president, Roger Dow.
“The success in Orlando is great, not just for this iconic destination, but for travel as a whole.
“As the US 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.”