Lifting of travel ban revives key Orlando tourism markets

ORLANDO, Fla. — The ending of the United States’ ban on international passengers from certain countries will provide a boost to Orlando’s tourism economy by putting the city’s most important foreign destinations back on the table.

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While Canadians dominate Florida’s international travel statistics and have always been allowed to enter by air, other nationalities have been kept at arm’s length for more than 600 days.

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A pair of flights landed at MCO from two English cities on Monday, bringing scores of excitement, tears and jumps for joy.

“We’ve had to postpone this honeymoon three times because we couldn’t get in the country,” Sam Hill said, adding that her husband proposed to her at Discovery Cove.

According to airport statistics, the United Kingdom alone accounted for about 40,000 of MCO’s 400,000 to 600,000 monthly international travelers pre-pandemic.

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Brazil was also on the US’ no-fly list. Flights from cities around that country accounted for 13,000 monthly travelers.

A Lufthansa flight from Germany was expected to touch down late Tuesday, marking the first time Germans or any European Union citizen would be able to fly direct from Frankfurt since March, 2020.

“We had about 76% decline in international visitation, and we usually have about six million international visitors,” Visit Orlando Chief Marketing Officer Danielle Hollander said.

READ: Government: Vaccine rule should remain while cases play out

Airlines have promised to ramp up transatlantic travel in December. It’s not clear how long it will take for passenger numbers to match 2019 levels.

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Cox Media Group