Visit Orlando, the Official Tourism Association® of Orlando, announced that the destination welcomed 6.1 million international visitors in 2023, a 25% increase over 2022 numbers. Canada remains Orlando's top international market, with more than 1.2 million visitors traveling to Orlando in 2023, the highest number for this market in Orlando's history.
“We saw strong gains in all of our major international markets, including the United Kingdom,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando. "Orlando's international growth is a testament to the uniqueness of our incredibly real destination, the support of our travel partners and our emphasis on strategic marketing initiatives to help drive visitation from our key markets."
2023 international visitation numbers represent 94% of pre-pandemic (2019) levels, and Canada, the United Kingdom and Brazil remain Orlando's top three international source markets.
Canada: 1,256,000 ( ↑ 46%) - All-time record number of visits
United Kingdom: 877,000 ( ↑ 8%)
Brazil: 696,000 ( ↑ 21%)
Mexico: 432,000 ( ↑ 10%)
Colombia: 302,000 ( ↑ 5 %)
A variety of factors contributed to this significant international growth, including new direct airlift into nearly all of Orlando's major international markets, giving visitors more opportunities to reach Orlando easily and affordably, along with a seamless visa process. more simplified in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia. . Visit Orlando expanded its robust “Unbelievably Real” marketing campaign efforts, including a widespread “Winter Doesn't Exist” campaign in key international markets during the colder months, driving even more awareness and increasing visitors' desire to explore offerings Unique to Orlando.
Visit Orlando shared 2023 international visitation numbers this week as part of the U.S. Travel Association's IPW, known as the “Super Bowl of the travel industry,” attracting travel buyers and media from more than 60 countries. Overall visitation figures will be released at the end of May, including national leisure and group business figures.
In 2024 and beyond, the theme park capital of the world continues to grow with an exciting range of new experiences for visitors to enjoy – from movie-inspired attractions and a roller coaster with snowmobile-style cars to a luxury resort similar to a beach with an 8-acre crystal clear lagoon.
NEW IN THEME PARKS
Several new attractions will open at Disney's Magic Kingdom Theme Park this summer. Tiana's Bayou will take guests on a musical adventure inspired by the beloved story and characters from the animated film "The Princess and the Frog." Guests will tour the bayou with Princess Tiana during the Mardi Gras season as she prepares to host a unique celebration for the people of New Orleans. The Country Bear Musical Jamboree, an all-new show, will feature renditions of classic Disney tunes, reimagined in all country music genres. These new attractions follow the recently opened TRON Lightcycle/Run roller coaster. Located in Tomorrowland, it is one of the fastest coaster attractions in a Disney theme park.
SeaWorld Orlando, celebrating its 60th anniversary, will debut Penguin Trek, an immersive indoor and outdoor roller coaster that families can ride together this spring. Guests will ride snowmobile-inspired cars at a top speed of 43 mph and end up in the park's penguin habitat. The park also debuted a completely new look at its Orca Stadium this year.
Universal Orlando Resort's new Dreamworks Land will open June 14 at Universal Studios Florida. The new family area, inspired by DreamWorks Animation characters including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Trolls, will feature the family coaster, Trolls Trollercoaster; multiple interactive play areas, including Shrek's swamp for little ogres, Poppy's playground, and Po's Kung Fu training ground; character meet and greet areas; and live entertainment. The park will also debut additional experiences this summer, including CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular, a fascinating new nighttime lagoon show debuting June 14 at Universal Studios Florida; Hogwarts Always – an all-new castle projection show debuting June 14 at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade at Universal Islands of Adventure; and Universal's largest daytime parade to date, Universal Mega Movie Parade, debuting July 3 at Universal Studios Florida.
LEGOLAND Florida Resort opened LEGO Ferrari Build & Race in March, offering guests the experience of seeing a life-size LEGO Ferrari car, building and testing it on one of three obstacle-filled test tracks. Younger drivers can enjoy the LEGO DUPLO Build Zone to design their own personalized creations with larger bricks.
Whats Next
In 2025, Universal Orlando Resort will unveil its next game-changer in theme park entertainment with the debut of its most ambitious theme park yet: Universal Epic Universe; a level of theme park immersion and innovation that is unmatched – transporting guests to expansive worlds with more than 50 stunning attraction, entertainment, dining and shopping experiences, transforming the award-winning resort into a week-long vacation destination filled with the most compelling experiences imaginable.
NEW ACCOMMODATIONS
Evermore Orlando Resort opened its doors on January 1 as Orlando's first beach-style property, featuring an 8-acre Crystal Lagoon and a 20-acre sandy beach with hammocks, cabanas and recreational activities. Guests can enjoy family paddleboarding, mixology classes, sandcastle building lessons, and more. Featuring the world's first contactless sunscreen application system, Evermore is thoughtfully designed for large groups and families and offers a variety of vacation homes from 2 to 11 bedrooms.
Conrad Orlando, the destination's first Hilton luxury brand, opened its doors on January 9 with 433 guest rooms, a spa, numerous dining options (including its signature rooftop experience) and 40,000 square feet of indoor meeting space. Located at Evermore Orlando Resort, the property overlooks a golf course, a two-story boathouse for private events, and the Crystal Lagoon and sandy beaches of Evermore Bay.
Villatel Orlando Resort, situated within the International Drive area, began a phased opening in late 2023 and offers private villa rentals with hotel-style standards and amenities. The property will eventually include a water adventure park with multi-story slides and a lazy river, a fully equipped fitness center, a full-service restaurant and children's play areas. Once fully completed in 2025, the entire complex will have 526 units with apartment-style suites and single-family homes.
Universal Orlando Resort will add 1,500 rooms to the destination's hotel portfolio, with Universal Stella Nova Resort opening January 21, 2025 and Universal Terra Luna Resort opening February 25, 2025. New property rates will start at $147 (per night , more taxation). , based on a stay of four nights or more, featuring 750 double queen rooms with spaceship-style windows, a variety of dining options and amenities including resort-style pools, fitness centers, game rooms, recreation rooms and more .
AWARD-WINNING DINNER AT MICHELIN GUIDE RESTAURANTS
Orlando's evolving dining scene has been recognized with one of the world's highest culinary honors. In the third edition of the MICHELIN Guide Miami, Orlando and Tampa, inspectors announced four new Michelin-starred Orlando restaurants by 2024.
The MICHELIN Guide also recognized Orlando's creativity, commitment to service and sustainability with three special awards: Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award for Justin Levaughn of Otto's High Dive; Michelin Service Award to Israel Pérez, maître d'hôtel and sommelier at Victoria & Albert's; and the Michelin Green Star, which recognizes exceptional sustainable food that does not sacrifice flavour, to Kaya, led by chef Lordfer Lalicon.
Michelin's recognition of the 48 restaurants identified in Orlando includes seven MICHELIN Star locations, 11 Bib Gourmands and 30 Recommended restaurants.