Orlando cemented its place in 2025 as North America’s top tourist destination, luring a best-ever 76.7 million visitors.
But the much forecasted Canadian exodus came true: Fewer from that country were among those crowding the world’s theme park capital.
While the United States’ northern neighbor remains tops among Orlando’s international visitors — with 1.1 million of its residents counted among the 6.3 million foreign tourists who visited in 2025, the Canadian market was “softer” than usual here, said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, the destination marketing agency for the Orlando-area. She said 13% fewer Canadians visited.
“It’s a very key market for us,” she said, addressing reporters at Visit Orlando’s annual National Travel & Tourism Week luncheon at the Orange County Convention Center Thursday.
Matej did not offer an explanation for the fall off, but a decline was predicted a year ago amid controversies sparked by President Trump’s tariff strategy and his musings about making Canada the 51st state, remarks that sparked diplomatic tension between the allies.
Matej said several other international markets delivered record numbers, including Mexico, Colombia and Japan.
“We are set up for great success here in Central Florida,” she said.
Overnight visitation remained strong, she said, accounting for 70% of domestic visitors, or 49.2 million travelers.
The tourism event also featured an energetic musical performance by Orlando native and Broadway star Michael James Scott, best known for playing the role of the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin musical nearly 4,000 times. He performed Thursday in a neon lime-green suit.
Recording artist and Broadway actor Michael James Scott speaks during the Visit Orlando luncheon during the National Travel & Tourism Week event at the Orange County Convention Center, on Thursday, May 7, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)
Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said Orlando’s success “is bucking the national trends.”
“The only question from where I sit: Is Washington going to be helpful or is Washington going to be harmful?” he said.
He said government shutdowns impacted air-traffic controllers and created long security lines at some airports, hurting tourism.
Freeman said the U.S. was the only country in the world to see a decline in international inbound travel in 2025.
“I know there are a lot of folks out there who want to draw easy conclusions as to why that may be happening,” he said.
The truth is more complicated, he said. Some international travelers fear they’ll be detained on arrival at a U.S. airport; forced to surrender their phones or other communication devices for a social-media search; provide DNA samples; or pay an extra $250 temporary visa fee.
“All countries see this as a violation of their personal privacy,” he said.
With the strong visitor numbers, the Visit Orlando board of directors rewarded Matej by extending her contract five more years.
The board’s unanimous decision was announced on the event stage by Barbara Bowden, managing director of Loews Hotels at Universal Orlando and the board chair. She said Matej helped navigate the tourism industry through the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the most disruptive periods in its history, “and we emerged stronger than ever under her leadership.”
Bowden did not offer any details of the contract extension. Matej earned nearly $700,000 in 2024, according to a tax form filed late last year.
shudak@orlandosentinel.com