Jan. 27, 2017

Pro Bowl Brings Crowds to Orlando

This week, the NFL's best are experiencing world-class Orlando hospitality. An anticipated sell-out crowd will come together to celebrate fun, family and football in the most-visited destination in the country.
 
In addition to Sunday's Pro Bowl game at Camping World Stadium the Pro Bowl week brought together a host of very exciting events previously held across the nation to a single destination. Thousands of football enthusiasts have enjoyed the Orlando experience, of our theme parks, convention district and downtown areas.
 
During the Pro Bowl's week-long inaugural event in Orlando we are playing host to 88 star players and with them came over 120 media outlets. In addition to securing marketing exposure throughout the week, Visit Orlando also will showcase our destination by debuting our newest TV spot, Orlando, the Never Ending Story, on ESPN during the nationally-televised Pro Bowl Game.
 
This week-long celebration is just one of many high-profile sporting events Orlando will host in 2017. It is indeed a big score for all of us!

-George Aguel

Industry Employment up 6.5% in December

The Orlando MSA ended 2016 with strong employment growth in December. Total nonagricultural employment increased by 50,300 jobs, 4.2 percent higher than December 2015. Orlando's Leisure and Hospitality Industry added 16,000 jobs versus December 2015, an increase of 6.5 percent. The industry's 261,200 jobs accounted for 21 percent of total nonagricultural employment in the Orlando MSA during December. The industry's 6.5 percent year-over-year increase outpaced the 4.2 percent increase in total MSA employment, and the industry accounted for nearly one-third (32 percent) of jobs added.

Blog Features Tips for Epcot's New Arts Festival

Visit Orlando's blog, "Disney Unveils New Epcot International Festival of the Arts," offers readers #ArtfulEpcot top tips on how to get the most out of this first-ever festival where food, art and entertainment harmoniously shine Jan. 13-Feb. 20, Fridays through Mondays.

Visit Orlando Teams Up With Toronto Raptors

This Sunday evening Visit Orlando will be showcased throughout the entire Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic matchup in Canada. Visit Orlando has teamed up with the Toronto Raptors for a two-month promotion that includes extensive in-stadium signage, social media and high-traffic billboards around the Toronto area. During Sunday's game, Visit Orlando will be conducting an engaging fan experience within the concourse as well as being featured on court at half time with a chance for one lucky fan to win a trip to Orlando.

Travel Industry Sales Promotes Destination at ABA

Visit Orlando's Travel Industry Sales Team attended the American Bus Association (ABA) 2017 Marketplace in Cleveland, Ohio, Jan. 14-16. With more than 800 qualified tour and motorcoach operators in attendance, ABA offered numerous networking opportunities including meal functions, educational sessions and evening events. While in attendance, the team conducted 30 tour operator appointments strengthening our business relationships, positioning Orlando as a destination to meet the needs of their groups and emphasizing our commitment to this vital segment of the tourism industry.

Apopka Celebrates Its Unique Ecotourism

Visit Orlando, along with thousands of local residents and visitors, attended the 5th Annual Lake Apopka Wildlife Festival and Birdapalooza last weekend. The celebration of the rich diversity of birds and other wildlife that make their home on the north shore of Lake Apopka included interactive tours led by St Johns River Water Management District and Orange Audubon Society. In addition, several well-known birding experts such as keynote speaker Greg Miller took visitors on wildlife watching and eco-friendly airboat tours . With more than 360 species recorded, Lake Apopka has the highest identified bird species diversity of any inland site in North America and offers unique opportunities for ecotourism.

Behind the Scenes With U.K.'s ITV

This week, Visit Orlando hosted ITV's hit morning show "This Morning" to film vignettes with host Ali Hammond to showcase Orlando's range of activities, including an airboat ride at Wild Florida Airboats, a golf lesson at Tranquilo Golf Club at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando and jet skiing at Buena Vista Watersports.

CIty's Street Food Stars in Brazilian TV Show

Brazil's rising celebrity personality and host of the popular television program "Chefs na Rua" (Chefs on the Street) Mauricio Schuartz and his team visited and filmed around the city to highlight Orlando's diverse street food on his hit TV show presented by Sony Television. As a result of Visit Orlando's publicity efforts, the show produced two 30-minute episodes showcasing the one-of-a-kind food options from Plant Street Market to Winter Park's Farmers' Market, Tasty Tuesdays in The Milk District and Epcot's International Food and Wine Festival. The show also mentions the city's growth and diversity of activities. Combined, both episodes garnered more than 11.2 million viewers.

Weather Network to Broadcast From Orlando

All next week, Canada's Weather Network will broadcast their entire morning TV show live from sunny Orlando while most Canadians are experiencing some extremely cold winter temps. The morning show, with an estimated 8.2 million viewers, will broadcast Monday-Friday 7-11 a.m. from a series of destination locations, including Kennedy Space Center, SeaWorld Orlando, the Coca-Cola Orlando Eye, Buena Vista Watersports and the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. Host Krissy Vann will be enjoying our warm and sunny weather, reminding Canadians nationwide, what they're missing.

Orlando: A 'Magical Experience for All Ages'

The Visit Orlando Public Relations Team generated coverage on the Daily Express online (31 million UMV) following a group press trip last fall. "From Disney to Universal Studios, sunny Orlando has all you need this holiday" highlights all of the major theme parks as well as lesser-known areas like The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, and says that Orlando is a "magical experience for all ages."

This Week at the Convention Center

Tradeshow Weekend to Bring 70K Attendees, $153M

Three events - The PGA Merchandise Show, Future of Education Technology Conference and Surf Expo - at the Orange County Convention Center this weekend will bring more than 70,000 expected attendees combined from various trades and industries from around the world providing a boost to the local economy estimated at $153.5 million. 

Volcano Bay Grand Opening May 25

Universal Orlando Resort has announced that its new Volcano Bay water park will open officially on May 25. Universal Orlando's third theme park, the 28-acre Volcano Bay will offer 19 water-based attractions across four themed zones: Rainforest Village, River Village, Wave Village, and Krakatau - the volcano at the heart of the park which gives it its name.

5 Area Hotels Receive Travelers' Choice Award

TripAdvisor has announced the 2017 Travelers' Choice Awards for hotels. Based on millions of reviews and opinions from travelers around the world, these annual awards reflect "the best of the best" for service, quality and customer satisfaction. Orlando-area hotels that ranked among the Top 25 for Families - United States are: Floridays Resort Orlando, No. 1; Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, No. 7; Marriott's Cypress; Harbor Villas, No. 9; and Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando, No.11. Floridays also ranked No.10 for families in the world. Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort ranked No. 19 in the Luxury Hotels category.

Universal Receives Philanthropy Award

Universal Orlando Resort was honored with Legacy in Travel Philanthropy awards, honoring long-term impact in corporate philanthropy. According to Tourism Cares, Universal Orlando Resort's Universal Orlando Foundation has given more than $14 million to the Central Florida community via projects such as its Art of Tomorrow program. More than 1,000 students have participated in the program, a collaboration between the resort, the Universal Orlando Foundation and Orange County Public Schools to encourage youth to pursue careers as artists and designers.

AAA: Orlando Top Destination for 2017

With much of the country in the midst of a harsh winter, warm-weather destinations in the United States and Caribbean are topping most Americans' travel itineraries. Based on AAA's travel bookings, Orlando is the top domestic destination for 2017, with two more Florida destinations making the top five.

Disney Springs' Paddlefish Opens Next Weekend

Paddlefish in Disney Springs will debut to the public on Saturday, Feb. 4. Formerly known as Fulton's Crab House, the iconic Disney Springs restaurant has undergone a multi-million dollar transformation since last spring.

More Americans Planning to Vacation in 2017

According to a recent AAA survey, 42 percent of Americans are planning to take a vacation in 2017 - with most planning trips to the warm weather destinations in the United States and abroad. All signs are pointing to a busy year for vacationers and the travel industry, with Orlando taking the No. 1 spot for domestic destinations.

Pent Up Demand Leads to Strong Early Bookings

Travel Leaders Network booking trends for 2017 indicate that more than 83 percent agents surveyed state overall bookings are equal to or higher than the same time last year. Additionally, the overall top domestic being booked is Orlando.

Prep Meeting Attendees Now for Real ID

If your attendees are from Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, or Washington, start prepping them now: Their driver's licenses will not get them through airports' TSA checkpoints after Jan. 22, 2018. REAL ID is a coordinated national security effort by the states and the Federal Government to improve the reliability and accuracy of state-issued identification documents. Each state's status and REAL ID deadline can be checked here.

Meetings Mean Business Plans 2017 Initiatives

The Meetings Mean Business Coalition had a busy 2016 advocating to prove the value of the meetings industry, and 2017 looks to be even busier, as MMB continues to push existing initiatives forward and launch new ones.

Increased U.S. Oil Production, Lower Gas Prices

The national average price of gas continues to decline as U.S. oil production increases. An average price of $2.31 per gallon represents a decrease of three cents per gallon on the week, four cents per gallon on the month, and prices have moved lower for 14 of the past 15 days.

Study Reveals Online Search & Booking Behaviors

TrustYou has published the findings of a recently conducted travel industry study. It reveals the relevant and important factors affecting the consumer decision process during one of the main phases of the traveler journey, such as preferred search engines.

Millennials and 2017 Travel

Previous research has shown that millennials spent $4,832 annually on vacations and 45 percent plan on hitting the road within the year.

CDC Zika Information

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), its most current data available at the time of this publishing (Jan. 25, 2017) indicate that 219 locally acquired cases have been reported in the United States, while 4,710 travel-associated cases have been reported. For the most current information about the Zika virus, visit the CDC's Zika page.