Credit: ITM Kelly C.Crowds have been pouring back into the Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando theme parks for a few months now as more of the world becomes vaccinated and fights the ongoing pandemic. And it seems as though the numbers match up to the current crowd levels as Orlando Sentinel reports that Florida tourism is higher than it was pre-pandemic.
Related:Â Travel to Disney Just Got Easier: More Direct Flights to Orlando!
According to Orlando Sentinel, a new report from Visit Florida shows Florida tourism numbers in the third quarter of 2021 surpassed those from the same period in 2019, which is before the coronavirus pandemic affected the United States and its tourism.
The report had estimated a total of 32.517 million tourists between July 1 and September 30, 2021, but that number was exceeded by about 0.3% visitors in the third quarter of 2019.
Related: OpEd: End of Disney’s Magical Express Pushes International Guests Offsite
And this number is only expected to grow as the year goes on. Now that the Biden administration released new international COVID-19 air travel requirements and rules that ended the 18-month ban on travelers from countries including the United Kingdom, Europe, and more, the Florida theme parks are expected to see an increase in international travel as well.
Disney Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy said in The Walt Disney Company earnings call last week that Parks revenue, including Disney Cruise Line operations, for the second half of 2021 is up 26%. She stated that attendance was also up, which makes sense now seeing Visit Florida’s new Florida tourism report.
Related: CA Gov. Stresses Importance of Disneyland For State’s Recovery
Have you visited Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando lately? Or do you have plans to visit in the near future? Let us know in the comments below.
If you want to visit Walt Disney World on your next vacation, let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation. You won’t want to miss everything the Parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district has to offer!