June 15, 2018

Shining the Spotlight on Orlando

Now that we’ve picked up the confetti and had time to reflect on Orlando’s record-breaking achievement of 72 million visitors in 2017, I’d like to share some of the tremendous publicity our destination received.

More than 1,200 stories across print, digital and broadcast media spread the word that Orlando was, once again, America’s most-visited destination. Coverage extended from major outlets in the United States … to our top international markets of Canada, the United Kingdom and Brazil … to emerging markets in Asia and the Middle East.

Overall, our visitation announcement generated 1.21 billion impressions across traditional and social media, which equates to being in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today every day for more than a year!

This incredible exposure not only keeps Orlando top of mind for future leisure and business travel, it also helps underpin the widespread financial impact that tourism brings to every corner of Central Florida.

Indeed, the Orlando brand continues to grow stronger. And Visit Orlando is proud to share that message on a global scale on behalf of our entire community.

-- George Aguel

PR Campaign Receives National Award

Visit Orlando's public relations team received an Award of Excellence for the organization's 2017 "Orlando's BIG Thank You" campaign. The award was presented last week by the Public Relations Society of America at its annual awards competition. The campaign, which also won a Guinness World Record for most hand-written thank you cards collected in 24 hours, was recognized for creating a personal and emotional connection. The Silver Anvil Awards, celebrated as the Oscars of the communications industry, recognize the best public relations campaigns of the year and the highest standards of performance for the profession.

"Where's Roberta"
Films in Orlando

Visit Orlando worked with Orlando International Airport, Oakland (Calif.) International Airport and producers of the "Where's Roberta" show to create a 30-minute travel segment all about Orlando. Airing on San Francisco's KPIX/CBS in July, the special is the result of the first-ever non-stop Southwest Airlines flight between Oakland and Orlando. The show will highlight everything our destination has to offer, including theme parks, outdoor adventures, shopping, dining, cool resort pools, exciting new attractions and more.

Winter Park Profiled in Wonderlust Magazine

Visit Orlando's public relations team secured a travel profile on Winter Park in the new Wonderlust travel magazine. The article, Find Your Florida, highlights Winter Park's history, as well as the Alfond Inn, Rollins College and dining on Park Avenue.

HIMSS Holds Diamond Summit in Orlando

Sixty-five corporate Diamond members from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) were in Orlando this week for the HIMSS Diamond Summit. HIMSS will hold its annual convention at the Orange County Convention Center in February 2019; some 40,000 attendees are expected.

Magical Dining Making Impact at BASE Camp

BASE Camp Children's Cancer Foundation is increasing its impact in the community thanks to Visit Orlando's Magical Dining Month. Since receiving our record donation, BASE Camp has awarded several Second Wishes to children with a recurrence of cancer, as well as enhanced its Parent's Night Out program and provided additional "kid's choice" lunches at local hospitals. Read more on our corporate blog.

Showcasing Orlando in Our Nation's Capital

Visit Orlando's meetings and convention team recently joined 16 member companies to host a client event at Nike Georgetown. There were 60 key clients in attendance from groups such as: the National Association of Home Builders, IAAPA, American Pharmacists, Helicopter Association International, and United Fresh. Our members interacted with clients as they participated in a networking game with a health and fitness theme. Nike athletes were on hand to share current trends, health and fitness consulting, and new products.

21K Attend SAP's
Annual Conference

SAP, a German-based European multinational software corporation, hosted its SAPPHIRE NOW and ASUG Annual Conference at the Orange County Convention Center this week, bringing 21,000-plus attendees from more than 90 countries. OCCC's North and South halls featured six miles of truss and framework, including more than 1,000 LED tiles and 7,500 square feet of LED video surface. SAP will return to Orlando in 2019.

Building Relationships with Meeting Planners

Visit Orlando recently attended the Meeting Professionals International's (MPI) World Education Conference in Indianapolis. The tradeshow, which drew more than 2,300 attendees, allowed us to meet with key event planners through one-on-one appointments, networking events and educational seminars. The World Education Congress is MPI's signature event.

Safety Council Coming to Orlando October 2021

Representatives from the National Safety Council -- a nonprofit organization and the nation's leading safety advocate -- recently visited several area hotels in preparation for the NSC's Congress & Expo in October 2021 at the Orange County Convention Center. The event is expected to draw more than 15,000 attendees from 63 countries.

Maritz Planners Experience Orlando

Visit Orlando and its members hosted meeting planners and key leaders from Maritz Novartis -- a leading event management company that executes more than 800 meetings per year -- for an educational weekend in Orlando. The team visited dining and entertainment venues across the destination and saw first-hand the new experiences at Universal, Disney Springs and Animal Kingdom.

At the Center

Spirit Expands at MCO, Adds Int’l Destinations

Starting Oct. 4, Spirit will begin offering international service from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to 11 new destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as three more domestic routes rolling out through the fall. The announcement marks one of the largest expansions in the airline’s history and includes service to the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Rosen Recognized for Innovative Healthcare

Rosen Hotels & Resorts and owner Harris Rosen, Florida's largest independent hotelier and company founder, recently won three awards at the recent World Heath Care Congress in Washington, D.C. The company's innovative self-funded healthcare program was recognized with three 2018 Health Value Awards for providing benefits at a cost-savings of $340 million.

Orlando, London Top
July 4 Destinations

CheapOair, a flight-focused hybrid travel agency, announced its top 10 domestic and international destinations for 2018's Fourth of July holiday. Of the 25 most-booked cities over the holiday week, 19 are within the United States. Orlando comes in as the No. 1 most-booked destination, followed by Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Loews Unveils Jurassic World Kids’ Suites

The Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal unveiled its Jurassic World Kids' Suites this week. The beds are made to look like the gyrosphere ride in "Jurassic World," and the carpet mimics the valley map with trail markings.

Record 33.2M Visitors Came to FL in Q1 2018

Florida welcomed a record 33.2 million visitors in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of 7.4 percent over the same period in 2017. An estimated 20.1 million were domestic visitors, an 8.5 percent increase. Canadian visitation increased by 2.5 percent.

45% of Vacationers to Visit Theme Parks

Almost half of summer vacationers (45 percent) plan to visit a theme park this year, according to a recent AAA Consumer Pulse survey. The organization also cited that North American theme parks drew 146 million visits in 2015.

Uber Unveils New
Safety Initiatives

Uber has revealed a new 911 in-app calling feature that notifies authorities of a vehicle’s location. The move is part of an effort to increase safety for consumers and employees.

Record Occupancy and ADR Predicted

According to a revised forecast by STR and Tourism Economics, the U.S. hotel industry is expected to continue posting record-breaking performance levels through 2019. The forecast projects a 0.1 percent occupancy increase to 66.2 percent, a 2.3 percent rise in average daily rate to $132.74 and a 2.4 percent increase in revenue per available room to $87.93.

These Eight Trends Are Shaping Travel

A report released by the global marketing firm Edelman lists the top cultural forces impacting how consumers are thinking about and planning travel this year. Some of the more intriguing include "defiance tourism," "escape tourism" and "the joy of missing out."

W Hotels Focuses on LGBTQ Travel

W Hotels is rolling out a series of curated travel guides for LGBTQ+ travelers around the world. In collaboration with next-generation community platform them!, the guides are designed to celebrate the unique qualities of each hotel location. The brand is also planning to take its popular speaker series to six global destinations in 2018, following a successful U.S. debut in 2017.