A record-breaking 72 million tourists traveled to Central Florida in 2017 -- the first market to pass 70 million visitors in one year, Visit Orlando said Thursday.
Businesses owners on International Drive said they've noticed an increase in tourists.
Nykolas Alonzo, who owns Gator Golf Adventure Park, said he isn't surprised by Thursday's announcement.
"Things are getting better here in Orlando," he said. "It's been crazy. We've had groups of 200 to 300 people walking up and down the streets."
Theme parks, shopping and restaurants have made Orlando the No. 1 tourist destination in the country.
“It's a magical place. It's relative all to here,” tourist Stephen Scott said.
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The last time Scott was in Orlando was 12 years ago, and he said a lot has changed.
“I've seen a lot more restaurants and shops opening up. Disney is expanding. Can't wait to come (back) in another few years,” Scott said.
The number of tourists traveling to Orlando is something Visit Orlando CEO and President George Aguel said is a constant grind with a global goal.
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Visit Orlando said that in 2015, 66 million visitors came to Orlando, and that number went up in 2016 by 2 million people.
“Everyone wants to visit here,” Scott said.
Officials said the reason behind the growth is the emotional connection Orlando has with people, and that connection creates memories.
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“Our daughter is disabled, so Disney is fantastic. She can access things that everybody else can access,” Scott said.d
Aguel said despite 2017 having obstacles such as Hurricane Irma, his team was prepared to make sure tourists felt welcome.
"We want to make sure that we are reassuring any possible concern about coming after an event such as a hurricane, (and) that we are ready to conduct business, and that we are ready to welcome them. There should be no hesitation for them,” Aguel said.
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According to a report by the themed entertainment and museum industries, in 2016, Disney had a decline in attendance of just 1 percent, mainly because Disney resources were focusing on Disney in Asia.
Universal Studios had a 7.4 percent increase in attendance from previous years because of new rides and upgrades that were made to old ones, such as the Hulk.
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SeaWorld reported its first quarter earnings for 2018: Total revenue increased by $30.8 million or 16.5 percent to $217.2 million from the first quarter of 2017. Attendance increased by 0.4 million or 14.9 percent to 3.2 million guests from the first quarter of 2017.
"We are happy about the progress we made in the first quarter and the continued positive results we are seeing year-to-date in April, and are laser-focused on continuing to execute as we enter the peak summer season," said John Reilly, interim chief executive officer of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.
Rick Foglesong, an author and Rollins College professor, said the growth can be a mixed blessing.
"It's good to have jobs," he said. "It's good to have more jobs. But tourism jobs are not ideally the jobs that you want, because they are low-paying."
Foglesong said low-paying jobs create affordable-housing issues, and so many visitors put stress on the region's network of roads and other resources.
But Aguel said the visitors help with taxes and in other ways.
"We would not have the shopping, would not have the dining, would not have a lot of what we enjoy today," he said.
Cox Media Group
