International travel declines by 8 percent

Across the country, places that depend on tourist income are hurting and it’s due to the lack of international travelers coming to their cities.

“Our hotel thrives on international visitors, especially when the domestic market is down,” said Joan Scicchitano, senior sales manager for the 626-room Regal Sun Resorts near ­­Downtown Disney.

Another reason international tourists are so vital: While only 6 percent of Central Florida’s tourists come from abroad, their spending accounts for 18 percent of travel industry income.

It’s impossible to know exactly how many foreign travelers come to Orlando, as some fly into other cities and then drive here. But Orlando International Airport had a 1.2 percent decline in international passengers, from 235,046 in February 2008 to 232,333 for the same month this year.

The situation is much worse at Orlando Sanford International Airport, where international travelers dropped 63.3 percent, from 25,168 in February 2008 to 9,232 for the same month this year.

Of course no one wants to travel over here. If you read or watch the news, everything is bad here. It is hard to lure people from other countries (that are also in an economic downturn) to our country (who is leading the recession).

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