It’s probably fair to say Orlando’s international tourism has had better years than 2020. Even in the aftermath of Sept. 11 and the downturn of 2008-09, there were still plenty of visitors from abroad helping to prop up our tourist economy.
In fact, it’s very possible Discovery Cove was kept afloat on its British visitation alone through the dog days of the Great Recession, such is the UK’s love affair with Orlando.
And therein lies one of the keys to our economic future, despite some serious forecasting woe (“Foreign tourist spending in US might not recover,” Aug. 7) and hand-wringing about the COVID-crippled nature of Central Florida’s essential business. It isn’t all doom and gloom, at least as far as tourism from the UK is likely to be concerned.
Certainly there is far more cloud than silver lining this summer as regards foreign spending in the U.S. in general, and the Sunshine State in particular, and that could well continue deep into the fall, if not early 2021.
But predictions that the previous high level of international visitors, with their longer vacations and higher spending, will not return until at least 2024 seems well wide of the mark to me, having written about Orlando for Brits for more than 25 years.
If there is one thing that motivates the average UK tourist, it is the thought of their annual trip to Theme Park Central. They will happily put off just about any domestic payment or necessity in order to fund their ongoing Florida addiction. New roof? Not essential. Kitchen remodeling? That can wait. Grandma’s hip replacement? Maybe next year.
It’s a particular travel mindset, and one that singularly benefits Orlando, which remains Britain’s biggest long-haul vacation market, with several hundred thousand who visit over and over again because of the polished lure of Mickey, Harry, Shamu, and Co.
The simple fact is, fully 60% of Florida’s visitation from the British isles is repeat business, a ridiculously high proportion for any destination, let alone one that is a nine-hour flight away. And, even in the depths of the pandemic, the desire for our transatlantic cousins to sample Sunshine State life remains surprisingly high and enthusiastic.
Of course, that yearning remains stifled at the moment. The federal administration’s ruling against visitors from most of Europe continues to mitigate against any of the typically happy, sunburned faces we usually see in the parks and along International Drive at this time of year.
The state’s continuing high numbers of new daily coronavirus cases — almost 10 times greater than the UK, which continues to be one of Europe’s worst — is also a short-term deterrent, even if the average Londoner was allowed to hop on a plane to MCO this month.
And the precarious state of several airlines, including Britain’s biggest operator to Florida, Virgin Atlantic, is another factor that suggests the return of all those regular foreign accents is not an immediate foregone conclusion.
But — and this is the key caveat in the wide-ranging issues facing our tourist businesses — the essential British desire to be riding Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom and quaffing a Butterbeer at Universal Studios is undiminished.
Anecdotally, we hear that significantly more than half of those who have had to cancel trips this year have already booked for 2021, and thousands more are eager to add to that number. In short, if there is a plane to get on that will drop them off in the heart of the magic next year, they will be on it. As quickly as the faucet was turned off this year, the floodgates will be open again as soon as Virgin, British Airways, and Norwegian are back on regular schedules.
Our many attractions, hotels, restaurants, and shops that rely on foreign tourists just need to hang in there for long-haul flights from London, Manchester, and Glasgow to return and we can all breathe a sigh of tourist tax relief. And it won’t be 2024.
Simon Veness, an England native who lives in Orlando, is founding author of the best-selling “Brit Guide to Orlando.”
