ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County's tourist development tax numbers for fiscal year 2023 came out Wednesday and showed that collections were down nearly 5% compared to 2022.

The month of December 2023 saw a 4% dip in collections compared to December 2022, which, according to the TDT report, was the eighth month out of the last nine that saw a year-over-year decrease.

One business that has seen the decrease firsthand is the three-room Historic Thurston House Bed & Breakfast in Maitland.

Innkeeper and owner Beverly Fuller bought the bed-and-breakfast in 2022, and said the decrease in her numbers are similar the county's data. 

“I was very surprised,” she said. “Coming out of a successful 2022, I was ready to keep going. (I) was a little disappointed and wondered where my travelers had gone.”

Fuller said the Thurston House from saw about a 10% dip in number of nights booked between 2022 and 2023. She said there was also a drop in bookings for in-state guests.

“I was surprised how many people are willing to travel just a few hours for a getaway, but that is a large part of my business,” she said.

While hotel numbers in Orange County were down for 2023, the report showed that other key tourism factors were up.

The Orange County Convention Center, for example, hosted 14 more events in 2023 than in 2022 — which increased the number of people attending by more than 160,000.

Orlando International Airport also saw a 15% increase in passengers, according to Visit Orlando.

Dr. Kelly Semrad, who specializes in hospitality management at the University of Central Florida, said the drop-off should not be surprising. Florida touted being open during the COVID-19 pandemic, but by 2023, Semrad said the rest of the world was open as well.

“I think we people are over the travel rage, getting out past COVID and the pandemic,” Semrad said. “We are seeing that immediate demand taper off now. We are going to see new travel trends in a post-pandemic world.”