Tourists flock to Orlando for Thanksgiving weekend

ORLANDO, Fla. - International Drive in Orlando, Florida is busy with tourists spending the holiday weekend in Central Florida. In fact, the region is the top destination for Thanksgiving.

The Farley’s are visiting from Cleveland, Ohio. The trio loves spending Thanksgiving in Orlando.

"It’s wonderful, it’s warm, sunny, what’s not to love,” said Janice Farley. “We do it every year, we’ve been doing it for probably close to ten years.”

“Super fun, all the parks,” said Grace Farley.

“Both my wife’s parents and my parents have passed, so we’ve kind of made this our Thanksgiving tradition to come down to the Orlando area,” added Nick Farley.

And the Farleys are not alone in this popular destination for the holiday.

“I think as we stand outside in sunny weather and much of the country is dealing with cold and snow and overcast skies, the beginning of the appeal,” said Sean Snaith, Economist, the University of Central Florida.

Not to mention, the area focuses on family fun.

“It’s a destination that really is family-centric, and Thanksgiving much as any holiday really is about family,” said Snaith.

University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith said the holidays are a major boost to the local economy.

“These times are important, not just for tourism but retail and other sectors of the economy, when a lot of business gets done at the start and throughout this holiday season,” said Snaith.

One of those businesses benefitting from the holiday rush is “Taverna Opa” on International Drive. The restaurant serving Thanksgiving meals, the Greek way.

“Our motto is 'eat lamb, not turkey,'” said Nick Karan, Manager, Taverna Opa.

Karan said Thanksgiving is always busy.

“Being one of the only restaurants that are open in the area brings a lot of traffic to us,” said Karan.

The Farleys, enjoyed their Greek Thanksgiving feast, showing us that it doesn’t matter what you eat or where you are, as long as you’re spending Thanksgiving with the ones you love.

“We want everyone to feel like they’re home and with their family with us,” said Karan.