Why Orlando Keeps Breaking Tourism Records

By: Jeanette Johnson, Director of Growth & Innovation

Nestled between dirt roads on fourteen acres of farmland, I grew up in a small town in Kansas. After a few years in Boston as a young professional, a job transfer in 2009 presented the opportunity to move to Orlando, FL–a place I had never been and knew very little about.

I’m so glad I made that leap.

Orlando, as I discovered, was so much more than I expected-or could have ever imagined.

I didn’t just find year-round sunshine, beaches, golf courses and amusement parks, although there was plenty of that, too. What I found was also a booming technology scene, incredible food, world-class shopping, an exciting space program, and natural beauty that still blows my mind. Turns out, there are so many reasons to love Orlando.

And I’m not the only one who can’t get enough of The City Beautiful.

In 2025 alone, Orlando welcomed a record-breaking 76.7 million visitors, according to the latest numbers from Visit Orlando. That’s a 1.8% increase over the previous year, and the highest visitor total in the destination’s history.

Orlando is officially the most-visited destination in the United States.

While I know firsthand why Orlando is a draw for so many people, I was curious to know more. Who is traveling here? And why?

The answer: just about everyone, and for so many different reasons.

According to Visit Orlando:

• Domestic visitation grew 2.2%, setting a new record of 70.3 million visitors in 2025.

• Visits by Floridians increased 3.4%, while the largest share of domestic visitors continued to come from out-of-state – about 70% of whom stayed overnight.

• International visitors declined 2.4% to 6.3 million visitors in 2025, largely due to a decrease in travel from Canada.

• At the same time, Orlando saw international growth from several key markets, including the United Kingdom (up 2.3%), Brazil (up 5.6%), Mexico (up 4.6%), and Colombia (up 5.0%).

The numbers reveal something important about modern travel trends: Orlando continues to appeal to a remarkably broad audience.

Families, nature lovers, convention-goers, entrepreneurs, and off-the-beaten-path travelers all find something here. And increasingly, visitors are discovering that Orlando offers much more than its globally recognized attractions.

Visit Orlando’s latest data reflects that evolution:

• 81% of Orlando travel comes from domestic leisure visitors, while 10% comes from domestic business travel, and 8% comes from international visitors.

• Group meetings grew 3.1% to 5.8 million visitors in 2025.

• Orange County Convention Center, just one of many event centers in the region, is projected to host 185 events with 2.3 million attendees in 2025-2026, generating an estimated economic impact of $5 billion.

• Orlando was recently selected as a host city for the only International Olympic multisport qualifier tied to the LA28 Summer Olympic Games.

These facts reinforce what many of us who live here already know: Orlando has evolved into far more than a vacation destination. It’s a place where tourism, business, innovation, and culture intersect in meaningful ways.

In just a few years, I will have spent more than half my life in Orlando, more time than I ever spent in my home state of Kansas. When I read these statistics and see records broken year after year, I feel proud to call Orlando my home.

Yes, the economic impact is immense. But tourism shapes this region in ways that go far beyond economics.

It’s the memories that families make together. It’s the excitement of a first rocket launch. It’s the small business owners, hospitality workers and creators who help shape the experiences visitors remember long after they return home.

Visit Orlando President and CEO Casandra Matej said it best:

“Beyond the numbers are the experiences that motivate travel, the memories created and the emotional connections that continue to draw travelers to Orlando year after year.” 

I couldn’t agree more.