Nov. 11, 2016

Visit Orlando Serves Up an Exciting Annual Meeting

As we put a long election season behind us and turn our attention toward 2017, we are preparing to host our Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Tuesday, December 13 at Orlando World Center Marriott.

Joining us will be American tennis legend Jim Courier. A Central Florida resident, Jim will share war stories from his career on the courts, how Orlando is being transformed into the epicenter of tennis in the U.S., and the impact on our travel and tourism community.  As a number-one ranked player with four Grand Slam titles to his name, he enjoyed a legendary career which spanned 13 years and ushered him in to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He is not only an ambassador for the sport of tennis, but also an enthusiastic supporter of our destination.

We will share much more including celebrating the year in review, so make plans to attend this important end of the year event for our industry and look for more details to come.

-George Aguel

Orange County TDT Sets Record in Fiscal Year

September collections of Orange County's Tourist Development Tax were 5.4 percent higher than the same month last year. Collections of the tax have exceeded prior year levels for 41 consecutive months, a streak that started in May 2013. Collections during the County's fiscal year that ended in September totaled $239,528,500, an increase of 5.9 percent over the previous fiscal year and a new all-time high.

Wyndham Grand Completes Renovation

Charlie Kingston, general manager of the Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek and George Aguel, president & CEO of Visit Orlando, cut the ribbon on the new 3,500-square foot Bonnet Creek Ballroom, part of the hotel's $5 million expansion. The ballroom also includes a wraparound balcony and terrace overlooking the 10-acre lake, a state-of-the-art lighting system capable of producing any color on the color wheel, and updates to three restaurants.

Last Day to Apply for Charitable Partnership

Nov. 11 is the last day for locally-based non-profits that benefit families and children to apply for consideration to partner with Visit Orlando in the coming year. Last year, Visit Orlando contributed more than $175,000 through its annual fundraising events. Eligible non-profits are encouraged to apply for consideration. Apply Online.

Sales Mission a Success

Visit Orlando held a mini sales mission to Switzerland and Germany, Nov. 2-4, with Visit Orlando partners - Coco Key Hotel and Water Resort and Rosen Hotels & Resorts - prior to World Travel Market in London. The three-day mission included presentations at Hotelplan and FTI Touristik in Zürich, followed by product meetings at United Airlines, Lufthansa, Thomas Cook and DER Touristik in Germany.

Popular Canadian Websites Highlight Orlando

VitaDaily.com and VanCourier.com (523,000 combined UMV) published stories on Orlando as a result of a recent Visit Orlando group press trip. The articles focus on what's new at the theme parks as well as the unexpected side of Orlando.

Potential Meeting Opportunities Uncovered

The Convention Sales Team engaged with a variety of new business prospects clients for the corporate, association, education and intermediary markets. During the sales call meetings, the team uncovered new meeting opportunities with total room night potential that exceeds 6,500 for Visit Orlando member hotels.

Pictured from left to right: Michael Townes, Visit Orlando; Kim Lesch, Lubrizol; Mimi Whitney, Experient Select; Travis Binkley, Visit Orlando.

Orlando's VIP Treatment in Rolling Stone Magazine

Mexico's Rolling Stone magazine, with an average monthly print circulation of 245,000, featured a full-page spread highlighting the destination's luxurious activities. The article gave special mention to the Four Seasons at Walt Disney World Resort for its VIP treatment and stunning architectural design. It also included some of Orlando's popular culinary venues like Eddie V's Prime Seafood, The BOATHOUSE and The Wine Room. This was part of a press trip that included nationally recognized media publications.

Family Blogger Generates Millions of Impressions

Visit Orlando engaged with Katie Ellison, UK blogger and social media influencer for Mummy Daddy Me, for a visit to Orlando with her family, Oct. 20-28. Her trip was chronicled in real time on her social media channels, generating more than 1.1 million impressions. She will also be posting additional stories on her blog and creating videos for her popular YouTube channel.

Executive Exchange Takes Place

While attending the Association Executive Exchange in New Orleans, the Convention Sales Team met with senior level executives - representing more than 520 associations - through a combination of face-to-face appointments, networking, breakout educational sessions and leadership events.

Pharmaceutical Meetings & Conventions

Visit Orlando was represented at the ExL Pharmaceutical Conference in Philadelphia. This pharmaceutical education conference helped connect end users of major pharmaceutical companies and major influencers from the larger third parties. As a result of the conference, Visit Orlando connected with several new potential accounts, as well as entertained senior sourcing managers from Maritz and American Express booking for Merck, Novo Nordisk, Dell Computers and BMS.

Canada's Weather Network to Broadcast from Orlando

Next week, Canada's Weather Network will broadcast their morning TV show live from Orlando while most Canadians are gearing up for a cold winter ahead. The show, with an estimated 8.2 million viewers, will broadcast live Monday-Friday from 7-11 a.m., from a series of destination locations including Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Orlando, Universal Orlando, Buena Vista Watersports and the Coca-Cola Orlando Eye . The week-long live broadcast will showcase the breadth and depth of the destination and the hosts will be enjoying some warm Orlando weather, reminding Canadians nationwide, what they are missing.

This Week at the Convention Center

World Chambers Congress Bid Presented

The Orlando Chamber and delegation presented the official bid proposal to host the 2019 World Chambers Congress to the General Council of the World Chamber Federation in Madrid, Spain, on Nov. 4.

OCCC Launches Urban Garden

Orange County Convention Center is going more green these days with a new internal food sourcing program called the Center-to-Table Gardens in the West Concourse.

OIA Ends Fiscal Year with Record Traffic

The 2015-2016 fiscal year was very successful for Orlando International Airport. September marked another record for the airport with a rolling 12-month total of 41.5 million passengers or a 10 percent increase over last year.

New Escape Room Partnership

America's Escape Game, Marriott Vacations Worldwide and Vistana Signature Experiences have partnered, allowing guests the opportunity to experience an escape game without leaving the comfort of their resort.

AARP Travel Trends

Boomer travel trends show that almost all travel for leisure with about half traveling internationally.

Survey: Latest Hotel Trends

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) released the 2016 Lodging Survey-the definitive industry review examining the top trends.

Thanksgiving Travel Could Reach Record Highs

Air travel is set to reach a record-high in the 12-day period surrounding Thanksgiving, according to Airlines for America. An estimated 27.3 million people will fly domestically in this period, accounting for an uptick of 2.5 percent from last year.

CDC Zika Information

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), its most current data available (Nov. 9, 2016) indicates that 139 locally acquired cases have been reported in the United States, while 4,035 travel-associated cases have been reported. For the most current information about the Zika virus, visit the CDC's Zika page.