Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is celebrating the end of a COVID-19 test requirement for international travelers coming to the U.S.
International travelers no longer have to present proof of a negative COVID test as of Sunday.
Demings says rolling back this testing requirement is good news for the local economy, especially the hospitality sector.
“If we do that, it has been estimated that we could see a 20 percent increase in international travel," Demings says. "And when they come to the U.S. we know that they come to Florida. And it’s timely because as we go into the summer months, we know that our visitations tend to go up.”
Demings says this should act as yet another incentive for people from international destinations like the U.K. and South America, to return to the Orlando area this summer for their holidays.
“We have a lot to offer in this community as the world’s No. 1 destination for families, so I believe that that would be positive for us.”
Some 59 million people traveled to the area in 2021, far surpassing travel to cities like New York and Las Vegas.
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