How's this for a sign of consumer confidence: Theme parks in Orlando, Fla., got so crowded during the holidays that they turned away visitors.

As the AFP noted, "visitors to Legoland, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and three Disney destinations found parking lots and entryways shut for short periods Wednesday and Thursday as the Orlando area enjoys record numbers of tourists."

The question is how long the crowds will last for Walt Disney (DIS), the largest theme park operator; Comcast (CMCSA), whose Universal Orlando resort features The Wizarding World of Harry Potter; and Marriott (MAR) and other hotel chains.

According to official tourist site Visit Orlando, total visitation (domestic and international arrivals) is expected to increase 1.8% to 54.3 million people in 2012. That's down from the 3.7% increase forecast for 2011.  

But the cheap dollar is encouraging more international tourists. Visit Orlando forecasts that 4 million overseas visitors will come to the region next year, up 4.2% from 2011. That surpasses the 3.8% gain expected this year. Domestic visitation is expected to jump 3.7% to 49.6 million in 2011 and rise 1.6% in 2012 to an estimated 50.4 million visitors.

The outlook in other tourism meccas is similar. The U.S. Travel Association expects total travel expenditures to rise 3.2% in 2012 versus 7.5% in 2011. Officials in Hawaii expect visitor arrivals to increase 3.4% in 2012 from the 2.5% increase expected in 2011. Visitor expenditures are expected to jump 5.6% next year, down from 13.1% this year.  

Data from the University of Nevada Las Vegas forecasts that 38.7 million visitors will visit Sin City in 2011, up 3.8% from a year ago. That figure will hit 40.1 million in 2012, a similar increase over 2011.

Signs are emerging that after the worst economic decline since the Great Depression, Americans are looking to kick back and relax. But they are not willing to spend big bucks to do it until they see more evidence that the recovery is sustainable.

-- Jonathan Berr does not own any shares of the listed stocks.