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Featured Event
 

tm_aug25_member_luncheon

Registration is Now Open
Tuesday, December 13, 2016

 
 
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Mickeys Parade

Visit Orlando went LIVE on Facebook from Mickey's Once Upon A Chritmastime Parade at Walt Disney World, reaching more than 700k fans.

 
 
Visit Orlando Events
 

Nov. 24
No Leads Lunch
Happy Thanksgiving!


Dec. 1
Member Orientation

Click here to register.


Dec. 13
Annual Meeting & Luncheon

Orlando Marriott World Center
Click here to register.


Member Presents
Members interested in targeting the meetings and convention market can present their products or services during monthly, 30-minute sessions with Destination Services. Click here to schedule a session.

 
 
Member-to-Member Offers
 

Florida Hospitality Industry Association would like to extend a $5 discount on Florida HIA Membership to Visit Orlando members and employees until Nov. 30. Enjoy more than 50 free attractions along with hundreds of exclusive discounts around the state.

The Palms Hotel & Villas is offering a special rate for members, relatives and friends of $65 plus tax for a suites-style condominium, including resort fee. They can accommodate up to six people in each suite. This is based on availability until December 2016. For additional information or to book rooms, call 407-396-2229 ext. 2205.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort is more than a stay, it is a place to play. Enjoy seven swimming pools, including a lazy river-style pool, waterslides, miniature golf courses, arcades, four golf courses, tennis, an 80-acre lake with plenty of watersports, a fun zone, and more. Visit Orlando members save up to 10 percent off your stay. Call 407-477-7029 to reserve.

rollins

Annie Russell Theatre at Rollins College is offering Visit Orlando members $10 off a season subscription. For $55, you'll receive one ticket to The Foreigner, Upton Abbey: An Improvised Comedy of English Manors, A Piece of My Heart, and Urinetown, The Musical. Visit rollins.edu/annie for tickets and use code: VISITORLANDO.

Dollar Off Drinks is extending a 20 percent discount on their six-month and one-year memberships to Visit Orlando members. To redeem, use promo code: visitorlando.

jetski

Sammy Duvall Watersports, located behind Disney's Contemporary Resort, is proud to offer Visit Orlando members 10 percent off all water activities (parasailing, personal watercraft, wake boarding, water skiing and more) now through Dec. 31. To claim this offer, call 407-939-0754 or email reservations@sammyduvall.com, and mention the offer code "visitorlando10" when booking.

Sugarcanes Rum Bar & Lounge wants to invite Visit Orlando members to the Tuesday & Wednesday Massive Happy Hour experience. Visit Orlando members also receive an additional 10 percent off their ticket during non-happy hour times as well.

Main Event Orlando would like to extend their Holiday promo to Visit Orlando Members. Just mention this promo when booking.

Black Fire Brazilian Steakhouse is offering 50 percent off of selected wine bottles Monday – Friday during the month of November for Visit Orlando Members.

 
 
Industry Events
 

gift away

Run the PNC Family Challenge 5K on Dec. 3 at the scenic Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Proceeds will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida. Click here to register.

The PNC Father/Son Challenge will take place Dec. 8-11 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. This tournament celebrates family values and the special relationships that are created on the golf course. Visit pncfathersonchallenge.com for more details.

gift away

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida, Visit Orlando's charity partner, is in need of holiday gifts for the more than 700 children in their program. Please consider donating $10 gift cards for the "Holiday Little Gift Giveaway" event to be held Dec. 10. Gift cards can be delivered or mailed to Kristin Rothbauer at Visit Orlando, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Suite 400, Orlando, FL 32821. Or, make a financial donation online at bbbscfl.org.

La Nouba Hospitality Nights
Hospitality industry employees may purchase (up to six) tickets starting at $48 (adult) and $39 (child) for Thursday night shows. Tickets must be purchased at the La Nouba Box Office. For more information, please call 407-939-7328 or visit lanouba.com.

 
 
Community Events
 

Nov. 18-19
Voices of Light presented by Bach Festival Choir & Orchestra, and GladdeningLight
Knowles Memorial Chapel, Winter Park

Nov. 19-20
Orlando Ballet Presents Arcadian Broad's Beauty & The Beast
Garden Theatre

Nov. 20
Florida Hospital Golden Gala
Coronado Springs Resort

Through Nov. 27
The Missing Matisse: Pierre Henri Matisse
Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens

Nov. 25 – Dec. 31
SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration
SeaWorld Orlando

Dec. 2
I-Drive Chamber Holiday Ball & Bash
Mango's

Dec. 2 – Jan. 6
Downtown for the Holidays
Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando

Dec. 3
64th Annual Winter Park Christmas Parade
Park Avenue, Winter Park FL

Dec. 10
Don Quijote Awards
Epcot World Showcase

Dec. 10-11
A Classic Christmas performed by Bach Festival Choir & Orchestra
Knowles Memorial Chapel, Winter Park

Through Jan. 1, 2017
The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art Celebrating 75 Years
Morse Museum
 

 
 
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President & CEO's Message
 

Nov. 18, 2016

Many Reasons to be Thankful

George AguelClose to 50 million Americans are expected to take to the roads next week, making it the busiest Thanksgiving for travel since 2007, according to AAA. Thankfully, many of these travelers are expected to arrive here, in Orlando. Our destination is continually ranked among the top places to spend the Thanksgiving holiday as recently noted by AAA and Reservations.com.
 
Traditionally a busy weekend for travel, Thanksgiving occupancy is already pacing ahead of 2015 and advance bookings are up nearly 4
percent over the same period last year. While AAA attributes the bump to lower gas prices and anticipates nearly 89 percent of these travelers will arrive by car, air travel is also expected to be on the rise this season.
 
Thanksgiving weekend kicks off the beginning of a holiday season full of events and specially-themed venues. There will be winter celebrations at the parks and plenty of good cheer throughout our many resorts and attractions as well as a host of exciting ways for our guests to ring in the New Year.
 
Travelers to the area will also be rewarded with a variety of Black Friday deals that include hotel savings and added amenities, restaurant offers and discount tickets to area attractions.
 
The strong Thanksgiving weekend predictors, coupled with all that Orlando has planned for the holiday season, gives us every reason to believe the fourth quarter will usher our destination into a prosperous new year.

-George Aguel

 
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From the Research & Insights Desk of Visit Orlando
 

Thanksgiving Bookings Ahead of Prior Year

The average occupancy rate for last year's 4-night (Wed-Sat) Thanksgiving period was 72.5 percent, peaking on Friday night at 81.9 percent. The average occupancy around Thanksgiving has risen six consecutive years and advance bookings suggest the 2016 holiday is pacing ahead of last year. Advance bookings for the 4-night period are nearly 4 percent head of last year, with Friday and Saturday night showing the strongest gains over last year.

 
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Visit Orlando Updates
 

Come Out with Pride

Orlando Celebrates Come Out with Pride

Last weekend, thousands of attendees converged on downtown Orlando for the annual Come Out with Pride celebration - one of the largest Pride festivals in Florida. The Most Colorful Parade featured 147 groups and included a special tribute to the victims of Pulse. As a sponsor of the event, Visit Orlando helped paint the town with rainbow fans to show support of the LGBTQ community - a vital part of Orlando's diverse culture.

Esquire

Esquire Spotlights Orlando Extreme Sports

The November issue of Mexican Esquire magazine (circulation of 270,000) highlighted some of Orlando's most adrenaline-packed attractions in a feature article. The spread made special references to Wild Florida's airboat tours, Sammy Duval's extreme water sports, Wallaby Ranch's hang gliding experience and Universal Studios' thrill rides. Esquire is distributed in more than 28 countries, and the article is a result of a Visit Orlando-hosted Latin America press trip.

WTM

World Travel Market a Success

Last week, Visit Orlando showcased the destination at the annual World Travel Market London, the vibrant business-to-business event presented a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors. Visit Orlando met with key partners and media to promote future travel from the U.K. to Orlando. Participating members included Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Merlin Entertainment, Fun Spot America, Ramada Plaza Resort & Suites International Drive Orlando and Pegasus transportation.

budget travel

Visit Orlando Partners for 'Budget-Friendly' Segment

On Nov. 9, Visit Orlando and WestJet partnered with local Canadian travel expert, Angie Campanelli, to conduct a budget-friendly travel segment on Toronto's top tier broadcast outlet - Cityline (1,028,100 broadcast and online impressions). This pre-taped, 4-minute segment (airing on Nov. 16) featured a variety of Orlando's attractions and dining hot spots, as well as the new Visit Orlando App.

Colombia FAM

Colombia Travel Agents Enjoy Orlando

Twenty-two travel agents from Union de Representaciones, one of Colombia's key tour operators and part of AVIATUR, participated in Universal Orlando Resort's Fam, Nov. 6-11. During the trip, Visit Orlando hosted the group for a day of shopping at The Mall at Millenia, followed by lunch at the mall's new restaurant, Earl's Kitchen + Bar. The group also experienced several attractions at I-Drive 360.

 

Snapchat

Travel + Leisure Snapchat Takeover

Visit Orlando took control of Travel and Leisure's Snapchat account on Nov. 11 receiving nearly 15K views. The takeover included locations such as SeaWorld, Magic Kingdom, Universal and more. It was promoted across multiple platforms including Visit Orlando's own Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Travel and Leisure also retweeted messages to their 2.7 million followers.

Taste STreets

Brazilian Celebrity Tastes Street Flavors

Mauricio Schuartz filmed his popular TV show "Chefs na Rua" (chefs on the street) in Orlando. With an audience of more than 5 million viewers, the show highlights diverse foods from all around the world by paying homage to local urban chefs. "Chefs na Rua" filmed in some of Orlando's well-known urban neighborhoods and food events like Orlando's Milk District Tasty Tuesdays, Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, Plant St. Market, the Winter Park farmer's market and local "brews" along Mills 50.

FTI Touristik

Family Bloggers Gain Insight into Orlando

Visit Orlando networked with more than 25 family bloggers during the TMS Family Travel Conference, Nov. 10-12. A highlight of the conference was the Florida media roundtable, where Visit Orlando had the opportunity to speak with each blogger, providing them insight into what's new and upcoming in Orlando.

PCMA

Visit Orlando Attends PCMA Meeting

On Nov. 10, Visit Orlando's Midwest Convention Sales citywide team attended the PCMA Annual Education Meeting in Chicago. This event continues to be a great opportunity to further industry education, as well as networking with close to 200 meeting professionals in the greater Chicago area. From left to right: Nancy Henkel, Water Quality Association; Jaime Patton, Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS); Hayat Pronovost and Barbara Balaguras, Visit Orlando; Bob Kobosky, Conference Direct.

Experient

Orlando Hosts Bootcamp for Experient

Visit Orlando hosted the 3rd Annual Experient Bootcamp last week. The newly-hired National Account Managers came to Orlando to attend a 5-day orientation program. Through site visits at several hotels, event venues, and park attractions, participants saw firsthand how Orlando continues to be a top meeting destination. Pictured at Loews Saphire Falls Resort are Experient National Account Managers and Visit Orlando staff.

 
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News About Orlando
 

OCCC

This Week at the Convention Center

Group Meeting Start End Estimated Attendees Estimated Economic Impact
Taking Control of Your Diabetes Taking Control of Your Diabetes TCOYD Conference 2016 Nov. 19 Nov. 19 1,000 $1,970,000
 

Thanksgiving

Top Thanksgiving Destinations

Hotel booking platform Reservations.com announced the top ten destinations consumers are traveling to for Thanksgiving this year and Orlando made the list.

Read More

Disney Springs Debuts "Starbright Holidays"

Three hundred drones will light up the sky above Walt Disney World in a new Christmas show called "Starbright Holidays." The five-minute production at Disney Springs is the first show-drone performance of this scale in the United States.

Read More

 

Nov18_Black-Friday

Black Friday is Now "Attraction Friday"

There are amazing deals on theme parks and attraction tickets, along with retail stores and entertainment in Orlando. Here is a roundup of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

Read More

New Addition to Universal Orlando Hotel Collection

When it opens in the summer of 2018, guests visiting Universal's Aventura Hotel will arrive at a sleek and stylish space designed to create an affordable-chic experience. It will become the destination's sixth hotel.

Read More

 
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Industry News
 

travel

New Travel App Partners with American Express

HelloGbye, an app that uses facets of artificial intelligence to plan and book users' flights and hotels, has partnered with American Express.

Read More

Transforming Security at Airports

The U.S. Travel Association issued a new report offering ways to improve security at airports and give travelers a better flying experience.

Read More

 

emojis

Study: Most Popular Travel Emojis by State

Hotwire.com® announced the top travel and leisure emoji used state by state. The study shows that travel experiences bring happiness and joy to U.S. trip-takers.

Read More

CDC Zika Information

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), its most current data available (Nov. 16, 2016) indicate that 139 locally acquired cases have been reported in the United States, while 4,115 travel-associated cases have been reported. For the most current information about the Zika virus, visit the CDC's Zika page.

 
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Tourism Ambassadors
 
ARDA Bags BB&T British Airways Clear Channel Outdoor
Darden Florida Distributing Company Florida Hospital The Florida Mall Lufthansa
The Mall at Millenia Orlando Economic Development Commission Orlando Health Orlando International Airport Orlando Magic
Orlando Premium Outlets OUC Smart City Tupperware Brands
 
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