April 19, 2024

Hello,

Orlando's culinary community shined bright last night in a star-studded MICHELIN Guide ceremony. Four new Orlando restaurants received MICHELIN Stars, one of the most prestigious honors in the restaurant industry, bringing Orlando's total to seven one-MICHELIN-Star restaurants.

• Camille (Vietnamese cuisine) in Balwin Park
• Natsu (Japanese cuisine) in Downtown Orlando
• Papa Llama (Peruvian cuisine) in Curry Ford West
• Victoria & Albert's (Contemporary cuisine) at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista

Soseki Modern Omakase in Winter Park; Capa Steakhouse & Bar at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort; and Kadence in the Audubon Park Garden District retained their one-MICHELIN-Star recognition.

The MICHELIN Guide also recognized Orlando's creativity, commitment to service and sustainability with three special awards:

• Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award for Justin Levaughn of Otto's High Dive, a Bib Gourmand
• Michelin Outstanding Service Award to Israel Perez, maître d'hôtel and sommelier of Victoria & Albert's
• MICHELIN Green Star, which recognizes exceptional sustainable dining that doesn't sacrifice flavor, to the Michelin Recommended Kaya, led by Chef Lordfer Lalico
  
  

Otto's High Dive, Victoria & Albert's and Kaya honored at the 2024 MICHELIN Guide Ceremony.

Among the total 48 restaurants featured in the latest edition of the MICHELIN Guide, there are seven Starred restaurants, 11 Bib Gourmand distinctions, and 30 Recommended Orlando restaurants. Sushi Saint and Zaru were recently awarded Bib Gourmand status which showcases restaurants that offer high-quality meals at a great value.

At Visit Orlando, we've long been committed to telling the story of Orlando's award-winning culinary scene. To add to the momentum, we'll soon launch a new culinary marketing campaign in partnership with Tripadvisor to continue to elevate the destination's growing dining scene. The initiative includes digital campaigns and three sweepstakes targeting foodies in the U.S. and Canada, incorporating restaurants featured in the Orlando episode of Netflix's popular series, "Somebody Feed Phil" as well as MICHELIN Guide honorees along with neighborhood dining tours and culinary challenges.

These efforts are part of a broader strategy to leverage high-profile media partnerships on global platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, ITV, and NBC, in multiple languages, tapping into the 'Set-Jetting' trend, where shows and movies inspire consumer travel decisions.

Attend Visit Orlando's Travel & Tourism Event

Join us for Visit Orlando's Travel & Tourism Event on Thursday, May 23, at the Orange County Convention Center. We're celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week and the 40-year anniversary of Visit Orlando membership. Phil Rosenthal, creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond" and host of the Netflix hit show, "Somebody Feed Phil," will join as our keynote speaker. In a Q&A discussion with Ricky Ly, founder of the local award-winning Orlando multimedia food and travel guide, TastyChomps.com., Rosenthal will share stories from his recent episode filmed in Orlando and his journey from creating a hit comedy show to an internationally renowned culinary series in its seventh season.

Data & Trends

Metro Orlando's hotel occupancy rate for the week ending April 13, 2024, was 65.7% which was down -13.3% from the same week last year. The average daily rate for the week was $204.77, down -8.8% from the same week last year. Room night demand trailed prior year by -12.6%.

Hotel performance for Orlando was heavily impacted by direct comparisons to last year's Spring Break holiday as well as the influx of travel to the zone of totality of the eclipse at the start of the week. Orlando was not the only market affected by the Easter dates shifting the Spring Break period. Florida hotels as a whole trailed the prior year by 5.6%.

Across the Industry

Brian Comes Announcement: Brian Comes, VP of Field Operations (Americas) at Hyatt, has been appointed president-elect for Florida Citrus Sports (FCS), beginning in 2025. Brian has served as treasurer on the executive committee at FCS. With a proven track record of leadership, including serving on Visit Orlando's board of directors and leading the way as VP and general manager at Hyatt Regency for years, Brian is dedicated to enhancing Orlando's tourism industry. We look forward to Brian's continued contributions to the Central Florida community in this role at Florida Citrus Sports.

Around the Destination

Orange County residents share feedback during a town hall meeting focused on the development of a Destination Tourism Master Plan.

Tourism Master Plan Town Halls: Visit Orlando hosted a series of six town hall meetings to get feedback from residents in all six commission districts of Orange County on the development of a 10-Year Destination Tourism Master Plan. Discussions centered around six key themes: neighborhood development, mobility/transportation infrastructure, workforce/affordable housing, iconic events and sustainability. We are so grateful for the many residents and community leaders that took the time to attend and engage in thoughtful discussion. The Visit Orlando team will continue to provide updates on this process which is planned to be completed by the end of the year.

Visit Orlando's Danielle Hollander joins William T. Dymond (Lowndes), Jennifer Evins (United Arts of Central Florida), and other industry professionals at Travel + Leisure's gala.

Charitable Foundation Inaugural Gala: Travel + Leisure, the world's leading membership and leisure travel company, brought together over 150 business and community leaders to promote educational excellence during its Charitable Foundation Inaugural Gala. The Foundation provides debt-free college or technical education for students in underserved communities, beginning with the Eatonville Scholarship Program. Recipients shared their stories and spoke passionately about the impact of attending college debt-free.

Visit Orlando Engaged!

Representatives from Visit Orlando and members attend World Travel Market LATAM in Brazil.

WTM LATAM: Visit Orlando attended World Travel Market Latin America (WTM LATAM), the leading B2B global event for the Latin American travel industry, to drive visitation to Orlando and promote the destination to key travel professionals and media. Premier trade shows like WTM LATAM are ideal platforms to strengthen relationships with the travel industry and showcase Orlando's full scope.

The event included a VIP breakfast for 56 industry clients and 25 media outlets, with representation from the U.S. Consulate in attendance. The team conducted eight media interviews, met with over 20 journalists, influencers and content creators, and hosted a breakfast with six LGBTQ+ media. The team emphasized Visit Orlando's support to this top market with a marketplace and training seminar for over 300 travel agents to educate them about Orlando's new and unique experiences and grow our partnerships with travel professionals.

Visit Orlando representative promotes Orlando at TravelBrands' Agent Appreciation event.

TravelBrands Agent Appreciation: Visit Orlando engaged with over 800 travel advisors at TravelBrands' Agent Appreciation event in Toronto and Montreal. TravelBrands is the largest online travel agency in Canada. The event provided a great opportunity to promote what's new in Orlando in 2024 and showcase Orlando Travel Academy, Visit Orlando's premier training tool and educational resource for travel advisors and agents.

In the News

MICHELIN Guide: All the 2024 Florida MICHELIN Stars

Fodors: Best restaurants in Orlando, Florida

Smart Meetings: Orlando: luxury beyond imagination

The Jewish Chronicle: The magic of unspoiled Orlando - finding history and natural beauty off the beaten track in Florida