Visit Orlando has hailed the part played by the UK market last year, as the destination announced it had welcomed 74 million visitors in 2022.
This total was 98% of pre-pandemic (2019) levels, with the vast majority, 69 million, coming from the US.
International visitor numbers recovered to 75% of pre-pandemic totals, reaching 4.9 million in 2022.
More than 860,700 came from Canada, the top international destination, followed by 809,000 from the UK.
In 2019, Orlando welcomed 1,029,000 visitors from the UK, marginally down on the figure in 2018, which was 1,039,000.
Casandra Matej, president and chief executive at Visit Orlando, said: “As our top international overseas market, the UK plays an extremely important role in these visitation numbers.
“Our new international brand launch and strong commitment to strategic sales and marketing initiatives, combined with our destination’s continuous evolution of new unbelievably real experiences, helped Orlando maintain its leadership position and achieve strong visitation numbers.”
The 74 million figure for 2022 represented a 25% year on year increase and means Orlando maintains its position as America’s most-visited destination.
The increase in numbers followed the launch of Visit Orlando’s Unbelievably Real brand, first introduced in May 2022 to domestic visitors followed by an international marketing campaign in the UK, Ireland, Canada and Latin America.
Pictured announcing the 2022 visitor numbers, from left: Terry Prather, senior advisor for Lift Orlando; Casandra Matej, president and chief executive of Visit Orlando; and Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings
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