The number of domestic visits to Orlando rose 1.8% in 2007.

According to the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 45.9 million domestic visitors arrived at Orlando this year, compared with 45.1 million in 2006. The Bureau considers it the second-best domestic travel year, after 2005 when the area received 46.6 million visitors.

According to CVB CEO and President Gary Sain, the increase was due to many factors, though he mentions that the $68-million advertisement campaign the bureau initiated in 2007 was a chief factor.

Looking further into the statistics, it is seen that overall leisure travel, which comprises 77% of all domestic visits, rose to 35.3 million from 2006’s 34.5 million; a rise of 2.4%. Overnight leisure travel went up 3.9% to 23.5 million, as day leisure travel dropped 0.3% to 11.8 million.

Overall business travel to Orlando fell 0.5% to 10.57 million against 10.62 million last 2006. Day business travel rose 1.2% to 5.19 million while overnight business dropped 2.1% to 5.38%. In overnight travel business, the number of overnight group meetings dropped 4.5% to 3.8 million.

Travel to Orlando by Florida residents increased 2.4% to 24.5 million, while non-resident visitor travel rose 1% to 21.4%.