Visit Orlando announced at IPW that the destination welcomed 6.13 million international visitors in 2023, an increase of 25% 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 from this market in Orlando’s history. Visits from the UK and Ireland also increased by 8% over the same period. Overall visitation numbers will be unveiled in late May, including domestic leisure and group business figures.
“We saw strong gains from all of our core international markets, particularly from Canada, which brought in record-breaking visitation numbers,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO for Visit Orlando.
“Orlando’s international growth is a testament to the uniqueness of our unbelievably real destination, the support from our travel trade partners and our emphasis on strategic marketing initiatives to help drive visitation from our key markets.”
The 2023 international visitation numbers represent 94% of pre-pandemic (2019) levels, with Canada, U.K. and Brazil remaining the top three international origin markets to Orlando.
- Canada: 1,256,000 (↑ 46%) – All-time record-breaking visitation number
- United Kingdom & Ireland: 877,000 (↑ 8%)
- Brazil: 696,000 (↑ 21%)
- Mexico: 432,000 (↑ 10%)
- Colombia: 302,000 (↑ 5%)
Contributing to this significant international growth were a variety of factors, including new direct airlift in nearly all of Orlando’s top international markets, giving visitors more opportunities to get to Orlando easily and affordably, along with a more streamlined visa process in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.
In 2024 and beyond, Orlando continues to grow with a lineup of new experiences for visitors to enjoy – from movie-inspired attractions and a launch coaster with snowmobile-style cars to a luxury beach-like resort with an 8-acre crystal lagoon.
New at the theme parks
Walt Disney World
Several new attractions will open this summer at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park. 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 be goin’ down the bayou with Princess Tiana during Mardi Gras season as she prepares to host a one-of-a-kind celebration for the people of New Orleans. The Country Bear Musical Jamboree, a whole new show, will feature renditions of classic Disney tunes, reimagined across country music genres. These new attractions follow the recently opened TRON Lightcycle / Run coaster. Located in Tomorrowland, it’s one of the fastest coaster attractions in a Disney theme park.
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort‘s new Dreamworks Land will open June 14 at Universal Studios Florida. The new family-friendly area, inspired by DreamWorks Animation’s characters including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Trolls, will feature family-friendly roller coaster, Trolls Trollercoaster; multiple interactive play areas, including Shrek’s Swamp for Little Ogres, Poppy’s Playground and Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp; character meet and greet zones; and live entertainment. The park will also debut additional experiences this summer, including CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular – a riveting new nighttime lagoon show debuting June 14 at Universal Studios Florida; Hogwarts Always – an all-new castle projection show debuting June 14 in 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.
Other theme parks
LEGOLAND Florida Resort opened LEGO Ferrari Build & Race in March, offering guests the experience of viewing a life-sized LEGO Ferrari car, and building and testing it in one of three obstacle-laden test tracks. Younger drivers can enjoy the LEGO DUPLO Build Zone to design their own custom creations with larger bricks.
SeaWorld Orlando, celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2024, will debut Penguin Trek, an immersive indoor/outdoor launch coaster families can ride together this spring. Guests will ride snowmobile-inspired cars going at a maximum capacity of 43 mph, ending up in the park’s penguin habitat. The park also debuted an all-new look and feel to their Orca Stadium this year.
