The BUSIEST place on Earth! More than 75 million people flocked to Orlando, Florida in 2022 which is home to Disney - up 25% from 2021
- It comes despite Disney's continued war with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
- The number of tourists in 2022 was 25 percent greater than it was in 2021
- Representatives said tourism was at about 98 percent of pre-pandemic levels
Despite controversies involving Disney and their long-term bickering with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the house of mouse's home city of Orlando is reporting tourism is back to near pre-pandemic levels.
The number of tourists was 25 percent greater than it was in 2021, when central Florida was still recovering from the blows to tourism caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted international travel and caused convention cancellations.
The area's theme parks closed for several months in 2020 in an effort to stop the virus' spread.
Representatives for Visit Orlando claimed that the numbers were at about 98 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
'This past year proved to be a key recovery timeframe for Orlando's tourism industry, with a lot of pent-up demand from our top US and international markets,' said Casandra Matej, president and CEO for Visit Orlando, the area's tourism promotion organization.
Despite controversies involving Disney and their long-term bickering with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis , the house of mouse's home city of Orlando is reporting tourism is back to near pre-pandemic levels
By comparison, Paris - which had 44 million visitors in 2022 - was still down 13 percent from pre-pandemic levels, according to The Brussels Times.
The Orlando area had more than 69 million domestic visitors, with most of them visiting for vacations, a segment that has fully recovered, tourism officials said.
The one negative was business visitors, which still lagged behind pre-pandemic levels.
There were 4.9 million international tourists, making up only about three-quarters of pre-pandemic levels, according to Visit Orlando.
The two biggest sources of international visitors were Canada and the United Kingdom, with over 800,000 traveling to the city each, followed by Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.
'Our new international brand launch and strong commitment to strategic sales and marketing initiatives, combined with our destination's continuous evolution of new unbelievably real experiences, helped Orlando maintain its leadership position and achieve strong visitation numbers,' Matej added.
While the tourism board made mention of the city as the 'Theme Park Capital of the World,' they made no mention of Disney, whose executives have spent the last year in an all-out feud with Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis said earlier this week that Disney's recent silence on social issues is evidence of his victory over the entertainment giant after a battle over his so-called Don't Say Gay bill.
The number of tourists was 25 percent greater than it was in 2021, when central Florida was still recovering from the blows to tourism caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted international travel and caused convention cancellations
While the tourism board made mention of the city as the 'Theme Park Capital of the World,' they made no mention of Disney, whose executives have spent the last year in an all-out feud with Governor Ron DeSantis
DeSantis said earlier this week that Disney's recent silence - including CEO Bob Iger (pictured) on social issues is evidence of his victory over the entertainment giant after a battle over his so-called Don't Say Gay bill
He was referring to his Parental Rights in Education Bill, which banned classroom instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation from kindergarten through third grade.
Disney bosses were goaded by staff into opposing the bill, with DeSantis revoking its right to self-govern its giant Orlando Walt Disney World Resort in revenge.
Last year, DeSantis revoked Disney's self-governing status.
On Friday, he signed a bill that allowed a governing board to void development agreements the company had approved.
He said Disney tried to do a contract with themselves before the state board took over but said the contract is not valid.
'The legislature here just passed a statue which I will sign shortly nullifying that agreement because these development agreements under Florida law are subject to revocation, so I think they got too cute,' he said.
'I think that we will end up winning that fight. Disney should not be governing themselves they should absolutely be held accountable.'
Disney was suing the Sunshine State in what they claimed was a 'targeted campaign of government retaliation.'
'First, the big issue with Disney was they exercised a lot of political influence in this town,' DeSantis said.
'And they tried to fight us on things like parents' rights and things that are really important to the people of Florida. We beat them on that. We signed a parents' rights bill and we've expanded protections and we've done a lot of stuff to go back and fight woke ideology.'
Disney bosses were goaded by staff into opposing the bill, with DeSantis revoking its right to self-govern its giant Orlando Walt Disney World Resort in revenge
Disney's theme park is dubbed 'the most magical place on earth' - but the corporation has been embroiled in a spat with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for almost two years
Walt Disney World single-handedly transformed Orlando and its surroundings after opening in October 1971.
The Florida city is now one of America - and the world's - top tourist destinations, with Universal Studios also opening a huge theme park resort nearby.
DeSantis' battle with Disney was widely-praised by many conservatives and centrists, who have bemoaned corporations getting involved in social justice issues.
But the Florida governor has also faced criticism from both left and right, who say that a true conservative should be in favor of less legislation, rather than more.
DeSantis has been touted as a possible 2024 Republican nominee for the presidency.
He has yet to declare - but hasn't denied his rumored plans to do so.
