Orlando was top US tourist destination in 2014
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Local tourism agency Visit Orlando said the 2014 visitor count sets a new milestone for the U.S. tourism industry.
Officials also said it is a 5 percent increase in visitors from the previous year. They attribute the tourism boom to renovations and expansions at the area's many theme parks.
Universal Orlando opened Diagon Alley, its second Harry Potter-themed attraction.
Walt Disney World completed a New Fantasyland.
Tourism officials said the tourists contributed $200 million in hotel tax collections for Orange County in 2014, which was also a record.
Raw: Expert on need for Orlando to grow beyond tourism
"It's Disney World. Everyone wants to see Disney World and all of the attractions. We've been here nearly a week and we're still going," tourist Yvonne Clancy said.
John Clancy said his family has found plenty to do on their visit.
"They've been very busy. Magic Kingdom yesterday – it's the busiest I've seen of all the parks. To be honest, (it was) hard to get around," he said.
But the growth in tourism does have a downside, according to WFTV political analyst Rick Foglesong, who has authored a book on Disney and its complicated relationship with the region.
"Tourism, while it put Orlando on the map today, it makes us poor and more tourism keeps us poor," Foglesong said.
Foglesong said that while the numbers show a sizeable growth for the tourist industry, it isn't the type of economic development that is needed in central Florida.
"You want better jobs at better wages, and tourism does not give that to our economy," Foglesong said.
He also noted that the millions of dollars collected in tourist taxes can't be spent on schools, roads or generally on improving the lives of area residents, but rather, they have to be used to benefit tourists.
