Tourist tax collections set a record for the month of August, the fourth consecutive monthly record since the opening of Epic Universe in May, Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond announced this morning.
Revenues for August were up 11% — or $2.48 million — over the same month last year, nudging the fiscal year total toward a 12-month historical high, according to figures compiled by Diamond’s office which tracks both collections and spending of the tax revenues.
Through 11 months of Fiscal Year 2024-25, which ended Sept. 30, the Tourist Development Tax or TDT has totaled $355.1 million. Monthly collection reports generally trail collection by about five weeks. Figures for September will be announced in early November.
The 12-month fiscal year record, set Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024, is $359.4 million.
Diamond has attributed the surge to Epic Universe, Universal’s new park which features five themed “lands” based on characters in video games or films, including Super Nintendo, the Harry Potter series, How to Train Your Dragon and classic movie monsters.
He said the latest figures reflect the tourism industry’s “sustained momentum.”
Collections also set monthly records in September, November and December of 2024 and January and February of 2025, all before Universal’s new park opened. In March, TDT collections did not set a monthly record but raked in $40 million, the second highest monthly total ever generated by the 6% surcharge on short-term lodging, which includes hotel rooms and home-sharing rentals through Airbnb and VRBO.
Spending of these revenues is tightly restricted by state law.
According to Visit Orlando, the region’s TDT-funded marketing agency for tourism, Orlando’s hotel occupancy rose to 63.9% in August, up 2.5% over the same period a year ago. The average daily room rate for August was $164.07, up from $160.36 in August 2024.
Casandra Matej, Visit Orlando president and CEO, said attendance at Orange County Convention Center was also a catalyst for tourism recently with the General Council of the Assemblies of God and the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association show among the big events.
The Pentecostal Christian group, which is the U.S. branch of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the largest Pentecostal body in the world, was expected to bring over 20,000 ministers, missionaries, church leaders and lay persons to the four-day Orlando conference.
In the coming months, a portion of TDT reserves will be used to make the initial debt service payment of about $27 million related to the $400 million renovation of Camping World Stadium and a $10 million payment to UCF for the $90 million football stadium upgrade.
Both projects were recommended for funding by the Tourist Development Council and approved by county commissioners.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
shudak@orlandosentinel.com
