ORLANDO, Fla. — Travel numbers released Wednesday from Visit Florida show international travel to the state is booming.

The report said in the first two quarters of this year, Florida saw a 21% increase in travelers from overseas, and an 81% increase in Canadian visitation. However, there was a 1% decrease in domestic travel to the state.

A Central Florida business owner with a popular tourist attraction said it has been fortunate enough to see that increase.

The Orlando Kart Center, which has been in Orlando for about 12 years, is known for being one of the few outdoor kart-racing facilities in the region.

General Manager Vitor Salgado said over the past few years they’ve continued to see steady growth in visitation, with a majority of their customers being tourists.

“I would say about 80% of our customers are coming from outside of Florida,” Salgado said. “We have a lot of demand coming from Europe, and from other states.”

Despite recent reports of a drop in the tourism development tax numbers, Salgado said the Orlando Kart Center has not really seen the effects of overall tourism dropping. The weather could be more of a factor, but even during a hotter-than-normal summer, people still have made their way to the track, Salgado said.

“The rain stops us a little bit, but people still go out in the rain," he said. "If there’s no lightning or anything, they keep going. But not for the heat. Even with this heat, we still get them coming.” 

Visit Florida President and Chief Executive Officer Dana Young said in a statement, “While other states have finally opened their doors to domestic visitors, Florida is again leading in international visitors.”