Orange County is now certain to break its annual record for tourist tax collections in the wake of the spring opening of Epic Universe, with Monday’s report of another boom month in August.

Revenues were up 11% — or $2.48 million — over August of last year, leaving the county just a few million short of its 12-month historical high with one month left in the fiscal year, according to figures compiled by Comptroller Phil Diamond’s office, which tracks both collections and spending of the tax revenues.

“The question isn’t whether we break the record, the question is by how much,” Diamond said.

Through 11 months of Fiscal Year 2024-25, which ended Sept. 30, the Tourist Development Tax or TDT has totaled $355.1 million. Monthly collection reports generally trail collection by about five weeks. Figures for September will be announced in early November.

The 12-month fiscal year record, set Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024, is $359.4 million.

Diamond has attributed the surge to Epic Universe, Universal’s new park which features five themed “lands” based on characters in video games or films, including Super Nintendo, the Harry Potter series, How to Train Your Dragon and classic movie monsters.

Diamond said the latest figures reflect the tourism industry’s “sustained momentum.”

Collections also set monthly records in September, November and December of 2024 and January and February of 2025, all before Universal’s new park opened in May. In March, TDT collections did not set a monthly record but raked in $40 million, the second highest monthly total ever generated by the 6% surcharge on short-term lodging, which includes hotel rooms and home-sharing rentals through Airbnb and VRBO.

Spending of these revenues is tightly restricted by state law to tourism-related programs, although many local leaders have sought to broaden what the money can be spent on.

Numerous indicators tell the story of this year’s tourist tax boom.

According to Visit Orlando, the region’s TDT-funded marketing agency for tourism, Orlando’s hotel occupancy rose to 63.9% in August, up 2.5% over the same period a year ago. The average daily room rate for August was $164.07, up from $160.36 in August 2024.

Casandra Matej, Visit Orlando president and CEO, said attendance at Orange County Convention Center was also a catalyst for tourism recently with the General Council of the Assemblies of God and the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association show among the big events.

The Pentecostal Christian group, which is the U.S. branch of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the largest Pentecostal body in the world, was expected to bring over 20,000 ministers, missionaries, church leaders and lay persons to the four-day Orlando conference.

Matej said an additional fourth-quarter tourism boost may be on the horizon with hotel bookings tracking about 9% higher than last year.

She also said new data suggests “a promising shift” among Canadian travelers, Orlando’s top international source of visitors.

Matej cited a recent survey showing more Canadians say they’re “very likely” to visit the U.S. in the next year, the first uptick since October 2024. She said millennials are driving the bounce back.

Earlier this year, a social media movement urged Canadians to spend their money at home or cancel vacations to the US as  President Donald Trump was threatening the northern neighbor with sweeping tariffs and musing about making Canada the “51st state.” Airline travel and other data suggested the effort had an effect.

In the coming months, a portion of Orange County’s TDT reserves will be used to make the initial debt service payment of about $27 million related to the $400 million renovation of Camping World Stadium and a $10 million payment to UCF for the $90 million football stadium upgrade.

Both projects were recommended for funding by the Tourist Development Council and approved by county commissioners.

shudak@orlandosentinel.com