Travel demand has increased as summer gets closer.

We’ve already seen Disney World Park Pass reservations filling up as demand to visit reaches pre-pandemic levels. And with the arrival of Memorial Day weekend, travel is looking to be huge.

According to Click Orlando, both hotel occupancy and airport travel in Orlando are close to pre-pandemic levels this weekend, as tourists flock to theme parks. Air travel is up 550% from this time last year, with 300,000 expected departures compared to just 45,515 in 2020. To accommodate, airports are adding flights and destinations as well as increasing plane capacity.

Phil Brown, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, explained that these 2021 stats are “88% of what we were in 2019 which is good news for us.” Sunday, travel is expected to surpass 2019 levels. It’s worth noting that 2019 was Orlando’s best year ever for tourism.

As for hotels, occupancy is at 85-90% for the weekend. And June bookings are only 25% less, as of now, than they were in 2019. The U.S. News & World Report ranks Orlando (specifically Disney World) as the #1 family vacation spot in 2021, which is likely contributing to this influx of travel.

Lately, theme parks have been increasing capacity and reducing safety regulations. Universal Orlando jut announced that face masks will no longer be required beginning Saturday.

Travel is only expected to increase this summer. We’ll be sure to keep you posted with plenty of updates, so stay tuned to DFB!

Check Out What Disney’s CEO Has to Say About Travel Demand!

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The post NEWS: Orlando Tourism Will Rival 2019 Levels for Memorial Day Weekend first appeared on the disney food blog.