"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.
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