October 20, 2017

Travel Puts Americans to Work

In Central Florida, tourism supports 1 in 3 jobs and generates $64 billion in annual economic impact. Now, a new study by the U.S. Travel Association shows just how important our industry is to the country's labor force as a whole.

According to "Travel: America's Unsung Hero of Job Creation," Americans whose first job was in a travel-related industry obtained an average career salary of $81,900, significantly higher than those starting in most other U.S. industries. Even better, 40 percent now earn more than $100,000 a year. In addition:

- The majority (52 percent) of travel jobs - which include those in transportation, hotels, restaurants, entertainment and related fields - pay middle-class wages or higher.

- The travel industry offers a statistically better career starting point for Americans with less education. Workers with a high school degree or less whose first jobs were in travel reached an average career salary of $69,500, 5 percent greater than the average salary attained by workers who started in other industries.

- The leisure and hospitality sector, which is heavily dependent on travel, is the No. 1 small business employer in the U.S. From 2010 to 2016, travel jobs increased by 17 percent, compared to 13 percent job growth in the rest of the private sector.

Facts such as these provide much-needed context that, unfortunately, is not often recognized. The truth is, our industry offers a valuable service not only to our guests, but also to our hard-working employees and our economy.

—George Aguel

Visit Orlando Named
Best CVB in Southeast

Laurel Herman, publisher of Prevue magazine, presented Orlando with the Gold Award for Best CVB/Destination Experience in the Southeast to Visit Orlando's SVP of Sales & Services Fred Shea at IMEX Americas last week. The Visionary Awards are given annually to acknowledge the industry's forward-thinking destinations, hotels and resorts, cruise lines and airlines.

Integrated Campaign
Underway in Canada

Visit Orlando is running television spots in Toronto as part of an integrated campaign that includes digital, social and tour operator co-op efforts. Canada represents Orlando's No. 1 international market, with almost 1.2 million visitors to the destination each year.

Smart Meetings Touts
Orlando for Adults

Visit Orlando secured a destination feature in Smart Meetings, an award-winning publication for meeting professionals. "Orlando is 'Adulting' Big Time" showcases what's new in Orlando for meeting planners, highlighting improvements at Orlando International Airport, renovations at resorts and hotels, updates at area theme parks, and new dining and entertainment options for attendees.

Teamwork: Microsoft
Ignite a Big Success

An article in Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine, "Orlando: The No. 1 Meetings Destination - Through Thick and Thin," detailed how Orlando landed the 26,000-attendee Microsoft Ignite conference, held at the Orange County Convention Center, and how it went off without a hitch just two weeks after Hurricane Irma hit Central Florida. Vivian Eickhoff, event director for Microsoft Ignite, credited the city's top-notch planning teams at the OCCC - "from the sales director to the account manager" - for Orlando's success as a meeting option. Fred Shea, Visit Orlando's senior vice president of convention sales and services, described how Visit Orlando and the OCCC worked to get the message out that Orlando was back to business as usual.

Philly Mission Targets
Key Meeting Planners

In conjunction with members, Visit Orlando hosted a successful sales mission in Philadelphia at Stateside Urban Craft Distillery. The meeting professionals in attendance source groups for key association, corporate and third-party companies that result in future business for Orlando.

New York Times Digs
Halloween in Orlando

Thanks to Visit Orlando's publicity efforts, the New York Times named Orlando one of "6 Spooky Travel Destinations for the Halloween Season." "The home of Disney World and Universal Studios goes all-out with huge Halloween events," the Times reports.

Instagram's Most Popular
Baby Visits Orlando

With more than 215,000 followers, Instagram's most followed baby - Harlen Bodhi White, or @harlenbodhiwhite - visited from the UK with his family to explore some of Orlando's most exciting attractions that cater to families with babies and toddlers. From Walt Disney World and SeaWorld to the Coca-Cola Orlando Eye and Orlando Science Center, baby Harlen and 6-year-old sister Harlow (@harlowlunawhite, 68,000 followers) shared their holiday adventures on Instagram.

Top-Tier UK Media
Dine in Orlando

The public relations team hosted UK journalists from top-tier outlets as part of a SeaWorld Orlando press trip. The journalists learned about the array of activities the destination offers for adults. Outlets included OK! Magazine, the Daily Mirror, Best Magazine, Woman's Own, Woman, Now Magazine and the Manchester Evening News.

Meeting Planners Get
Behind-the-Scenes Tours

Visit Orlando convention sales, along with the Corporate Event Marketing Association, presented an exclusive, two-day, behind-the-scenes personal tour of Microsoft Ignite for more than 30 meeting professionals. Visit Orlando's showcase of our destination's meeting-and-event capabilities also included the Disney Institute's "Business Behind the Magic Tour" at the Walt Disney World Resort. Pictured are event marketing planners from Intel Corporation, OSlsoft, etech, One10, Opus Agency, Event Marketing Partners, Plantronics, Xponet and the YMCA.

#OrlandoHalloween
Stirs Up Social Media

Visit Orlando's social media team has been hitting the streets to share some spooky scenes from all across our destination. In recent days, our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels have featured a "spider dog" pranking unsuspecting guests, a 60-foot spider nesting at the Coca-Cola Orlando Eye, and an insider's guide to Halloween events in Orlando.

At the Center

Orlando No. 3 Best
City for Vegans

WalletHub released its report on 2017's Best Cities for Vegans & Vegetarians, and Orlando was No. 3 on the list. Our city had the highest share of restaurants serving vegan options at 31.14 percent. The 100 largest cities were ranked across 15 key indicators.

Harry Potter Celebration
Set for Jan. 26-28 

The fourth annual Celebration of Harry Potter, Jan. 26-28 at Universal Orlando, will feature a series of panels, memorabilia from the films and appearances by several actors from the movies, including the Weasley twins.

Disney Expands
In-Park Rideshare

Disney's Minnie Vans - a collaboration with Lyft designed to make it easier for guests to get around in the large park complex - is now available to guests staying at any of Walt Disney World's deluxe resorts.

TripAdvisor: Disney
Restaurant No. 2 in U.S.

Victoria & Albert's received the No. 2 spot in TripAdvisor's top 10 fine-dining restaurants in the U.S. The Walt Disney World restaurant was second only to contemporary French restaurant Daniel in New York City. About 400 fine-dining restaurants are recognized this year.

New Hotel Now
Open near SeaWorld

The 181-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites Orlando at SeaWorld is now open and features kids suites, an outdoor pool, an on-site fitness center, meeting space and more. As an official hotel of SeaWorld, the property also offers exclusive park benefits at SeaWorld and Aquatica.

Mall at Millenia
Celebrates 15 Years

To celebrate its 15th anniversary, the Mall at Millenia commissioned Ben Van Beusekom to create an iconic 15-foot tall installation inspired by the mall's architectural theme of man's relationship to the universe, Earth and time. It can be viewed in Grand Court through Oct. 23.

Business Travelers
Have Positive Outlook

The American Express Business Travel Survey found that 91 percent of Americans enjoy business traveling, with 62 percent saying they enjoy the face-to-face interactions traveling provides.

How Augmented Reality
Impacts Meetings

According to Skift, augmented reality will soon change the way that meetings and events are conducted, providing attendees a completely immersive environment.

Just How 'Tethered'
Are We on Vacation?

Project: Time Off's new report, "The Tethered Vacation," looks at how the tech-fueled transformation of the workplace is creating new problems when it comes to employees working off the clock, outside the office.

Live Like Locals
When Traveling

A new study by Allianz Global Assistance shows millennials live like locals when they travel for vacations, with 83 percent using services like Airbnb and Uber. They spend just over $1,300 on average, which is $1,000 less than travelers over the age of 35.