According to a data collected by travel research firm D.K. Shifflet & Associates Ltd, Orlando, Florida welcomed a total of 46.6 million visitors in 2009, making it the top US destination of the year.  Despite 2009 being a challenging year for the travel and tourism industry, Orlando fared much better than expected by earlier forecasts predicted by the firm.  The majority of the travelers were domestic with 43.3 million accounted for, and another 3.3 million total foreign visitors.