Orlando News
Tourism annually generates approximately $71 billion in economic impact and supports roughly 449,000 jobs (41% of Orlando’s workforce). Visitor spending, in the neighborhood of $45 billion, provides more than $2 billion in state taxes and $3 billion in local taxes. Also, since 2009, visitation has increased 55%, while visitor spending is up 75%.
“As the first water park in the world to complete the training and become a Certified Autism Center, Aquatica Orlando is proud to provide fun and memorable experiences through exceptional service,” said David Heaton, Vice President of Aquatica Orlando in a statement. “We continually strive to create safe and meaningful experiences for all of our guests, and we are committed in our efforts to offer families inclusive activities for children with autism and other special needs.”
“This is a significant milestone in Orlando International Airport’s history because it shows the sustained strength of the Central Florida economy,” says Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “With over 47 million annual passengers and growing, we must continue to plan and build for future growth, following the vision that was established more than three decades ago.”
Orlando held onto its No. 1 spot in 2018 as the top city for meetings and conventions in the U.S., according to Cvent, who has produced an annual list of top convention cities since 2012. The meetings and conventions management technology provider tracked meeting activity from January-December 2017 to compile its 2018 list.
Governor Scott said, “Florida’s tourism industry and our entire economy continue to flourish. After having record-breaking tourism in 2017, Florida started off the first half of 2018 by welcoming back-to-back record quarters of visitors. These record-breaking achievements allow our economy to create more jobs and adds to our success of having nearly 1.6 million private-sector jobs created in seven and a half years while our state’s unemployment rate is the lowest in over a decade.”
“We are on track to have a record breaking summer at Orlando International Airport. Our passenger growth is reflective of the value placed on this community by our travelers,” says Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “At our current pace we should surpass 47 million annual passengers by the end of summer.”
Year-over-year increases in median price have been recorded for the past 80 consecutive months; as of February 2018, the overall median price is 97.4 percent higher than it was back in July 2011. The median price for single-family homes that changed hands in February increased 11.3 percent over February 2017 and is now $249,250. The median price for condos increased 22.2 percent to $120,950.
