Orlando Sees Increases in Visitation, Visitor Spending
With 48.7 million visitors to Orlando, Fla., in 2007, tourism generated $31.1 billion for the local economy, according to a new economic impact study by Global Insight. In 2007, visitation increased by 2 percent from 47.8 million visitors in 2006, while visitor spending grew 4.7 percent from $29.7 billion in 2006.
Based on domestic visitor volume provided by D.K. Shifflet & Associates released in June, Global Insight estimates that the 45.9 million domestic visitors (94 percent of total visitation) to Orlando in 2007 represented 82 percent of total spending or $25.6 billion.
The area’s 2.8 million international travelers accounted for 6 percent of visitation, but were responsible for 18 percent of visitor spending, contributing $5.5 billion to the local economy.
Among domestic travelers, leisure visitation increased 2.4 percent to 35.3 million and business travel declined 0.5 percent to 10.6 million visitors. Of the business travel segment, overnight visitors attending meetings and conventions declined by 4.5 percent to 3.8 million.
Total visitation to Orlando by Florida residents totaled 24.5 million in 2007, up 2.4 percent from 2006. Visitation by non-Florida residents increased 1 percent to 21.4 million. The division between Florida and non-Florida resident visitors remained unchanged from 2006 with Florida residents accounting for 53 percent of domestic visitation.
The overall number of domestic leisure visitors staying overnight increased by 3.9 percent to 23.6 million in 2007. The average leisure travel party in 2007 consisted of 3.2 visitors who spent an average of $1,867 in Orlando over the course of 3.2 nights.
Total international visitation increased 5.7 percent to 2.8 million in 2007, but short of the record year in 2000 when international visitation was at 3.7 million. With increasing competition in both domestic and global travel markets, Orlando’s share of overseas arrivals to the United States has declined from 11.4 percent in 2000 to 8.6 percent in 2007.
