Orange County has set a new summertime record, with its highest tourist tax collection for August, signaling a robust uptick in the region's tourism. The comptroller's office reported that revenue from a 6% tax on hotel stays and short-term rentals brought in $25,649,100—a 10.7% climb compared to the same period last year. This surge in revenue is largely attributed to the recently opened Universal’s Epic Universe theme park and a notably mild hurricane season that allowed tourism to flourish uninterrupted.
Comptroller Phil Diamond was quick to link the boom to the new theme park. "It has been better than ever, and I give a lot of the credit, if not all the credit, to Epic,” Diamond told WFTV. "With Epic, it just brings a lot of people to town that may have been looking for a reason to come back to Orlando." Tourism is a cornerstone industry in Orlando, and the revenue from the tourist development tax is a significant contributor to community projects and is considered a vital measure of local tourism's health.
The growth wasn't solely in August, with June and July both reporting record-breaking figures as well. The TDT collections for June 2025 reached $33,698,100, which was a 10.3% jump over the previous June. July followed suit with an 11.1% increase year over year, accounting for $29,571,100 in collected taxes. These numbers indicate a strong and consistent performance throughout the summer season, which has historically been a peak time for Orlando’s tourism industry.
The success is multisourced, with Cassandra Matej, CEO for Visit Orlando, emphasizing the attraction of Orlando’s diverse tourism scene beyond the new theme park. "Orlando is generally more insulated from broader economic pressures than many other destinations, thanks to our family-friendly nature," Matej explained, as detailed by ClickOrlando. Alongside the arrival of Epic Universe, new air services for domestic and international flights have made the destination more accessible, contributing to an increase in both hotel occupancy and room demand.
According to figures provided by Visit Orlando, hotel occupancy rates rose to 63.9% in August, while room demand ticked up by a 4.3% margin over last year. The average daily rate for hotel rooms also saw an increase, sitting at $164.07, a modest 2.3% rise from the prior year.
