Orlando named top destination for Memorial Day Weekend, tourism expected to boom through summer
Orlando named top destination for Memorial Day Weekend, tourism expected to boom through summer
Orlando named top destination for Memorial Day Weekend, tourism expected to boom through summer
Orlando named top destination for Memorial Day Weekend, tourism expected to boom through summer
Rising gas prices and sky-high airline fees are not holding people back from taking vacations to Orlando.
Tourism leaders at Visit Orlando say they are preparing for a busy Memorial Day weekend. AAA named The City Beautiful as the No. 1 travel destination for the holiday.
"It's exciting to be going into summer. Things are looking really good for Orlando," Denise Spiegel from Visit Orlando said.
Spiegel says they're expecting to see tourism numbers they haven't seen since before the pandemic for Memorial Day Weekend.
"So for example, advanced hotel bookings, the pace is 97% of where we were at in 2019. So, just about there in terms of closing the gap to 2019," Spiegel says.
Tourism is expected to continue taking off this summer. Spiegel says June and July look even better based on the number of seats available on planes.
"So for domestic travel, seat capacity into Orlando is also at or slightly above pre-pandemic levels. So, that's all good news for our destination because as visitors come, you know, they pay sales tax, they pay TDT. So, all of these funds that go back into our local economy," Spiegel says.
In total, AAA predicts nearly 40 million people to travel at least 50 miles away from home this Memorial Day weekend.
That's up 8% since last year.