From reaching the adult travel market to spotlighting Orlando's best resort pools, here's your weekly look at what's happening across America's most visited destination.
Weather Channel Highlights 'Orlando for Adults'
Everyone knows Orlando is an ideal choice for a family vacation. But we're also the perfect playground for adult travelers, and that's a message our organization is working to share with top national and global media. As an example, The Weather Channel recently featured Orlando as one of its top destinations for adults in 2020, coverage that resulted from a press trip hosted by our publicity team.
Mayor Demings to Present Inaugural State of I-Drive
On Jan. 31, Visit Orlando will join community and industry leaders at the Orange County Convention Center for the inaugural State of I-Drive, presented by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. Open to the public, the event will discuss innovative new projects planned for I-Drive, as well as the district's positive impacts on leisure and business travel, higher education and other sectors of Orlando's economy. Learn more and register here.
New Executive Director Selected for Convention Center
Congratulations to Mark Tester on his selection as the next executive director of the Orange County Convention Center, pending approval from county commissioners. Tester comes to Orlando after 12 years in a similar capacity in Austin, Texas, and before that he worked in the Chicago convention industry. With OCCC's $605 million expansion underway, Tester takes over during a very exciting time for the future of meetings and conventions in Orlando. We look forward to working with him to drive convention-related travel to our destination and generate positive economic impact for our community.
Orlando is often recognized for how we combine adventure and affordability, and this week we topped Kayak's Top Wallet-Friendly Trips of 2020, earning points for our cost-effective flights, hotels, outdoor attractions and rental car services. The value of an Orlando vacation extends far and wide, and that goes for key overseas markets too. At the end of 2019, the UK's Post Office Travel Money website named Orlando its best bargain "long-haul destination" for a New Year getaway.
Q1 Lodging Forecast for U.S. and Orlando
National hotel occupancy is forecast to decline 0.5% during the first quarter of 2020, due to room-supply growth exceeding demand. Consequently, occupancy rates will limit average daily rate growth to roughly 1%. In Orlando, advance bookings are pacing better than anticipated, but occupancy is expected to remain flat to slightly down, also because of increased hotel room supply. Mirroring the U.S. overall, average daily rates in Orlando are forecast to increase by about 1%.
OTHER NEWS FROM VISIT ORLANDO
NFL Pro Bowl Week Begins Jan. 22
Thousands of fans will converge on Orlando Jan. 22-26 as we host the NFL's best players for the fourth straight year during Pro Bowl Week. Representatives from Visit Orlando will be at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – the site for practices and the NFL Pro Bowl Experience – to help visitors discover unique experiences across our destination. For more on the festivities, check out our Pro Bowl blog post.
THIS WEEK ON THE BLOG
Dive into the new year at some of Orlando's best resort pools, where endless play and refreshing relaxation await.
