ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County’s comptroller announced record-breaking Tourist Development Tax collections for August.
That revenue comes from a 6% tax on hotel stays and short-term rentals. It funds various tourism-related community projects and is seen as a strong indicator of Orange County’s overall tourism industry.
Comptroller Phil Diamond announced that the August 2025 Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collection was $25,649,100, reflecting a 10.7% increase compared to August 2024.
It follows a record-breaking June and July for TDT collections as well.
“It has been better than ever, and I give a lot of the credit, if not all the credit, to Epic,” said Diamond, “With Epic, it just brings a lot of people to town that may have been looking for a reason to come back to Orlando.”
August’s numbers reflect visitation to the Orlando area just thee months after Universal’s Epic Universe opened to the public, and before a deadly incident on a rollercoaster in the park.
Diamond said he believes the park has renewed the area’s tourism options, encouraging some visitors to return and others to stay longer. The comptroller also attributed this summer’s record-breaking numbers to the mild hurricane season.
“Hurricanes have a way of really throwing everything out of balance,” said Diamond, “With no hurricanes, you don’t have people staying away.”
According to Visit Orlando, “Orlando’s hotel occupancy rose to 63.9% in August, a 2.5% increase over last year, with room demand increasing by a higher margin of 4.3%.
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