Orlando ranks top travel and tourism destination in the US for 2022

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In February, the World Travel and Tourism Council named Orlando as the largest travel and tourism destination in America in 2022.

Orlando became the highest earner in the US followed by Las Vegas and New York City.

As a well-known destination for families, and theme park lovers, Orlando ranked at the top with $31 billion in 2022.

The city is also in the top 10 strongest urban destinations by sector value, and it is one fo the ten cities which exceed already 2019 levels.

The World Travel and Tourism Council is a non-profit travel industry body headquartered in London. It uses several key markers to quantify the economic contribution of travel and tourism in 82 cities worldwide.

Their report, sponsored by Visa, analyses various indicators such as the travel & tourism GDP contribution to the cities.

Besides Orlando, in its worldwide ranking, the WTTC named Paris the world s’ most powerful city destination, with tourism bringing to the French capital around $35 billion last year.

Travel and tourism for Orlando account for 20,4% of the city’s economy.

The city is home to Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and Sea World.

Sometimes nicknamed “The theme park city” the destination managed to surpass its 2019 level, earning more than 20% of the city’s total GDP in 2022. The number of international tourists also increased strongly and surpassed 2019 numbers.

According to Julia Simpson, WTTC President, the results achieved in the United States show that 2022 was a “fight back year” for destinations across the States with a “rebound of consumer confidence”.

In this context, it is interesting to note that Miami-based high-speed rail company Brightline will soon complete the expansion of its network, connecting Orlando to West Palm Beach.

The rail company will add connections to Walt Disney Resort and Orlando International Airport.

Florida also witnessed an increase in visitors and record growth in the third quarter of 2022.

The state welcomed more than a hundred million visitors in 2022, and Orlando nearly 60 millions in 2021. In comparison, Miami welcomed 24 millions visitors in 2021.

However, Orlando also earned the “world’s most expensive city for a family vacation” ranking in research published by Compare the market.

For a seven-nights vacation in Orlando, a family of four could expect to spend an average of $7350. Orlando, Florida comes just before Lapland, Finland, or Gold Coast, Australia, in terms of the family budget and spending.

Finally, Orlando is the largest private employer in the area, and Orlando International Airport is the busiest airport in Florida.

In conclusion

The WTTC also positions Orlando in the top 4 cities worldwide based on their prediction for direct travel and tourism GDP in 2032.

In the United States, San Francisco and Honolulu are also destinations recovering from the pandemic, with returning international visitors and growing GDP contributions.

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