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Orlando International Airport sees high passenger traffic this holiday weekend

ORLANDO, Fla. — Millions of people took to the skies this Presidents Day Weekend, with TSA numbers showing that this was the busiest weekend in more than a month at airports across the country.

Numbers at Orlando International Airport weren’t as high as they reached on Christmas or New Years, but this holiday weekend wasn’t that far off. On Sunday, there were more than 41,000 passengers that departed OIA, compared to the Sunday after Christmas, which was around 51,000 departing passengers.

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A report called “Future Travel Enthusiasm in the Age of COVID-19” released by the Travel Technology Association found a rise in the desire to travel and points to a survey that shows 82% of families have travel plans in 2021. They also point out that 59% are more likely to drive than fly.

That isn’t stopping some families from flying to The Sunshine State.

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“Oh, just the nice weather, just escaping the storm from Cincinnati to come down here with family,” said traveler Christopher Hunter. Between the COVID-19 lockdown and now the cold and snow, Hunter said his family has been cooped up far too long. “Everybody’s ready to get out,” Hunter said. “Cabin fever. It’s cold. Everybody sits in the house because of the pandemic.”

Dan Giordano, General Manager of Rosen Shingle Creek Resort said he’s starting to see signs of business picking back up.

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“People were coming out in droves. Reservations made on Thursday for the weekend. Valentine’s Day reservations,” Giordano said. “Golf is in full swing and the spa is over the top.”

Giordano also gives credit to the theme parks and community leaders for working with the tourism industry to keep things open, as well as the strong safety measure put in place.

“People want to get out people want to enjoy themselves,” Giordano said. “And, you know, they, they’ve been locked down for a while. So, they’re ready.”

Jeff Deal

Jeff Deal, WFTV.com

I joined the Eyewitness News team as a reporter in 2006.