Feb. 12, 2016

Orlando Polls High

As voters in New Hampshire headed to the polls this week amidst the remnants of a winter storm, here in Orlando we are enjoying sunny skies, even if a little cool for us Floridians. Our climate is just one of the many draws for these cold-weary northerners that attract them to our destination. 

In the last week of January, occupancy rates in Orlando were up nearly 18 percent over 2015, and the jump in demand was almost just as high. By comparison, Orlando outpaced U.S weekly growth by more than 15 percent, and Florida's by 12.5 percent. Not only does this growth translate into higher-than-average visitation, it also represents a significant boost to our economy with average daily hotel rates almost 15 percent above what the destination recorded last year.

However, not all who visited Orlando were here on leisure travel. The PGA and the International Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigerating expos at the Orange County Convention Center recently helped to sky rocket I-Drive occupancies to 25 percent beyond where they were this time last year. This surge in non-summer or holiday occupancy is good news-and just what we need to ensure we see growth in visitation, even when not as many leisure guests come to Orlando.

So, as the political debates continue, one thing we can all agree on is that Orlando is a favorite for both vacationers and business travelers alike. And as we head toward spring break, we look forward to an even greater demand from these visitors who love all we have to offer in our destination.

-George Aguel

Mixed Signs in January Labor Report

U.S. unemployment fell to 4.9 percent in January, the lowest since February 2008. However, the pace of job growth slowed sharply, with 151,000 jobs added in January versus more than 260,000 added in each of the previous three months. A positive sign in the labor market report was the 2.5 percent increase in average hourly earnings compared to a year ago. Wage growth has remained slow even as the unemployment rate has fallen, but economists expect wage growth to accelerate with the unemployment rate at or near full employment. And stronger wage growth should support consumer spending on goods and services, including travel.

Latest "Outdoor Orlando" Features Ziplining

Visit Orlando's Social Media team continues with their outdoor adventure series, "Outdoor Orlando." In this episode, national travel correspondent Sarah Sekula takes us ziplining through the trees at Forever Florida.

Visit Orlando, Members Host Icelandair Training

Visit Orlando participated at Icelandair's Mid-Atlantic Workshop in Reykjavik, Iceland, Feb. 4-7. Travel trade representatives met with tour operators from the Scandinavian countries and beyond, as well as key Icelandair staff from all markets. In addition, Visit Orlando, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and Universal Orlando Resort held training sessions for 50 Icelandair staff.

Latin American Media Tour Highlights Area's
Diversity and Flavors

Visit Orlando recently hosted a group of eight journalists from Colombia and Mexico on a six-day foodie press trip featuring writers from Mexican and Latin American lifestyle, gourmet and food industry publications, including National Geographic Traveler-Latin America, El Universal Menu, Pimienta, Estilo DF, Mundo Cocina, Cocina Semana and La Barra . The group visited a variety of restaurants and attractions highlighting current trends of celebrity chefs, usage and growth of local, organic and seasonal products. Restaurants visited included Citricos, Tapa Toro, Mamak, Luma, Hash House A Go Go, to name a few. This press trip also highlighted unique experiences found throughout the area such as Walt Disney World, International Drive, Winter Park, Sand Lake Road and Downtown Orlando. 

Daytime Toronto Spotlights Orlando for Families

Through proactive pitching efforts, Visit Orlando secured an 8-minute Orlando travel segment featuring family travel expert and blogger Angie Campanelli on Rogers TV's Daytime Toronto (600,000 viewers). Her segment, which aired three times on Jan. 28, outlined all of the reasons Orlando is a family-friendly destination and touched upon the major theme parks, beautiful resorts, dining as well as unexpected things to do in the destination.

Travel Trade Attends Visit USA Austria & Switzerland

Visit Orlando Travel Trade representatives attended the Visit USA Austria and Switzerland training events held Jan. 27-28 and Feb. 3, respectively. The Austria events took place in Linz and Graz. The Linz event involved a travel mart followed by an on-stage presentation where Orlando´s news and training tools were presented. In Graz, the event involved 16 presentations to small groups of travel agents during the course of the afternoon. A Visit Orlando grand prize was presented at the end of each event.

The Visit USA Switzerland event, the main U.S. training event in Switzerland each year, attracted 400 travel agents from all over Switzerland. Representatives spent the day training travel agents in small groups at the Orlando booth.

Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba Adds New Acts

During a recent private media event, the Visit Orlando Social Media team interviewed Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba artistic director, Daniel Ross, about the two new acts that have been added to the show. Watch here or read about it on the Visit Orlando blog.

SITE Florida & Caribbean Hosts Theater Night

Visit Orlando's Convention Sales representatives, along with thirty-two incentive planners, enjoyed SITE Florida & Caribbean Chapter's Theater Night featuring "The Book of Mormon" at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 3. The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence – SITE is a worldwide organization of business professionals dedicated to the recognition and development of motivational and performance improvement strategies, of which travel is a key component. Shown, from left: Francis Purvey, Mayte Albaladejo, Gilberto Ruiz and Jorge Colona.

Reed Exhibitions' Ed Several Dishes on Orlando

The PGA Merchandise Show has been coming to our own Orange County Convention Center in Orlando for more than 30 years. This year, attendance was up five percent from last year! The PGA show floor is the place to discover the newest in golf technology, equipment and apparel and featured six keynote speakers during their Education Conference. The man behind the event, Reed Exhibitions/North America Senior Vice President Ed Several tells Visit Orlando why he loves Orlando.

Next Week at the Convention Center

U.S. News Releases Best Hotels in USA 2016

The Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World^® Resort ranked No. 1 in Best Orlando-Walt Disney World Hotels and No. 34 on U.S. News & World Report's 2016 list of Best Hotels in the USA.

Area's Sports Tourism Big Earner

Orlando's sports tourism industry earned nearly $9 billion in 2014 and is expected to earn even more with the future opening of new attractions, such as TopGolf, according to a recent Biz Journal article.

Zipcar Comes to Orlando

Car sharing network Zipcar recently added 12 Zipcar stations in downtown Orlando, Winter Park's SunRail Station and Disney Springs.

Orlando Exceeding U.S. Job Growth Expectations

Tourism is cited as playing a large part in Orlando being ranked No. 7 of top U.S. 10 metro areas exceeding job growth expectations, according to recent CareerBuilder and Emsi research.

NBCUniversal Theme Parks' Revenue Increases

Comcast's NBCUniversal theme parks, which includes Universal Orlando Resort, saw a double-digit revenue increase in 2015, earning more than $3.3 billion thanks to increased attendance and guest spending, according to a recent Biz Journal article.

U.S. Average Air Fare Cost Lowest Since 2010

The average domestic airfare decreased in third quarter 2015 compared to 2014, and lowest level since 2010, according to Department of Transportation's recently released Air Fare Data for the period.

U.S. Travel Agents Indicate Zika Virus Not a Factor

A recent Travel Leaders Group poll of U.S. leisure travel agents indicates that the Zika virus is not having a strong negative affect on their business. (Click here for U.S. Travel Association's general talking points on Zika.)

Walt Disney Company Announces Record Earnings

This week Walt Disney Company announced record earnings for first quarter in 2016—cites "Star Wars" brand behind success.