February 8, 2018

Wishing Kathie Canning
the Best in Retirement

-George Aguel

Orlando's leisure and hospitality employment rose 2.5 percent from November to December, reflecting the typical seasonal travel pattern. Industry employment was 4.3 percent higher than December last year, outpacing the 3.8 percent year-over-year increase in total MSA employment. With 10,900 jobs added in December 2017 compared to December 2016, the leisure and hospitality sector accounted for 23 percent of the increase in total MSA employment. This growth has been a key contributor to our region's unemployment rate of 3.3 percent, which is below the statewide rate of 3.7 percent.

Accepting Applications
from Local Nonprofits

Visit Orlando is now accepting applications from local nonprofits for its annual Magical Dining Month program in September. Last year, Magical Dining raised a record $208,620 for two charities. Nonprofits are encouraged to apply online no later than Feb. 28. Questions can be directed to Kristin Rothbauer, communications manager, at kristin.rothbauer@visitorlando.com.

Londoño Wins Lifetime
Achievement Award

Congratulations to Visit Orlando board member Yolanda Londoño, who was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 20th annual Don Quijote Awards gala. Co-presented by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando (HCCMO) and Prospera USA, the award recognizes individuals in the region's Hispanic business community for their professional accomplishments, contributions to the industry and community, and demonstrated leadership.

Orlando an 'Emerging
Food Destination'

As part of a dining-focused destination orientation, the public relations team generated coverage in The Local Palate, an upscale, glossy magazine covering dining destinations in the South (126,000 print/online impressions). The story says, "One of the South's emerging food destinations, this Central Florida city has several surprises up its sleeve -- from the bustling Mills 50 neighborhood that's home to vibrant murals and a major Asian-American community to a string of restaurants racking up accolades."

Fore! PGA Show Draws
42K to Convention Center

More than 42,000 golf professionals, retailers and industry executives from 80 countries recently attended the PGA 2018 Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center. At the golf industry's leading trade-only event, attendees discovered the latest trends in golf equipment, technology, apparel, accessories and more, as well as attend the world's largest outdoor demo day. The show returns to Orlando Jan. 23-25, 2019.

In-Flight Magazine Touts
Orlando for Adults

The public relations team generated a seven-page destination story in Thomas Cook Travel magazine (circulation 225K). The in-flight magazine profiled Orlando's eco-tours and growing dining and brewery scene, writing, "While there's still plenty to wow inside the theme parks, the real magic is happening beyond their walls, from game-changing local microbreweries to natural caves hiding beneath shimmering turquoise water."

Catching Waves
at Surf Expo

Surf Expo, the largest and longest-running board sports and beach lifestyle tradeshow in the world, held its January event at the Orange County Convention Center. With more than 1,000 exhibitor booths, the show drew buyers from across the globe. Surf Expo returns to Orlando Sept. 6-8.

NY Times Spends
'36 Hours' in Orlando

The PR team pitched The New York Times to feature Orlando in its "36 Hours" travel series. Our team worked closely with the reporter to suggest dining, lodging and entertainment options that showcase urban Orlando. The resulting story, featuring nearly 30 Orlando-area businesses and organizations, received more than 108 million impressions.

Mills a Finalist for
Floridian of the Year

Congratulations to Harold Mills, member of Visit Orlando's board of directors, on his recent selection as a finalist for the Orlando Sentinel's 2018 Central Floridian of the Year award. Mills was chosen because of his work in academic, civic and charitable organizations, including LIFT Orlando. Mills also serves as vice chairman of the board at ZeroChaos, a workforce management solutions company he founded.

Sharing Sunshine
on 'Blue Monday'

The public relations team generated nearly 1 million impressions on the popular blog and social channels of UK millennial influencer Scarlett London. In addition to her own content, we leveraged her influence for a "takeover" of Visit Orlando's Instagram on Blue Monday, showcasing sunny outdoor activities on what's come to be known as "the most depressing" day of the year" (the third Monday in January). London's trip coincided with a key booking period in the UK.

NBC New York
Spotlights Orlando

Last week, an NBC TV crew filmed a series of vignettes showcasing what's new and exciting in our destination. The segments, which will air on New York Live, feature TV host and lifestyle expert Ereka Vetrini. NBC will also produce several vignettes -- scheduled to air around live weather updates -- comparing New York's cold winter weather to Orlando's warm and sunny experiences.

Brazilian Travel Program
Showcases Orlando

Brazilian TV show Viagem Cultural, which airs on RedeTV to a combined audience of more than 4 million, filmed multiple episodes focusing on dining, entertainment, shopping and what's new in Orlando. Show host Rodrigo Ruas invited influencer Felps , with a 4.8 million reach on social media, to share his Orlando experience across his social channels. The expected combined viewership will be more than 12 million, with an estimated media value of $11 million.

Veterinary Expo
Brings 20K Attendees

The North American Veterinary Community returned to the Orange County Convention Center for a second year, rebranding the event as VMX (Veterinary Meeting & Expo). More than 20,000 veterinarians, veterinary technicians/nurses and support staff from across North America attended this flagship event, which offers top-tier continuing education, as well as diverse exhibits and events.

At the Center

18 Orlando Hotels Rank
Among Nations Finest

Three Orlando area hotels met the superior gold badge hotel status on U.S. News & World Report's newly released 2018 ranking of the best hotels in the U.S., and several others received silver badges. In total, of the 293 hotels ranked in Florida, 18 area properties made the list.

Four Seasons Earns
Five Diamond Rating

AAA released its 2018 Five Diamond Award lists, recognizing 121 hotels. Ten of those hotels are in Florida, and the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort earned kudos as the Orlando area's only AAA Five Diamond-rated hotel.

Braves to Train at
ESPN WWS Through '19

The Atlanta Braves are extending their spring training agreement with Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports through April 2019. The Braves have held their spring training at the complex in Lake Buena Vista since 1998.

MCO Now the Busiest
Airport in Florida

Orlando International Airport is now the busiest airport in the state of Florida, with 44.6 million total passengers passing through in 2017. Orlando International, which ranks among the 15 busiest airports in the U.S., surpassed Miami International Airport to claim the top spot in Florida.

New Attractions Entice
Corporate Events

Large new attractions such as Topgolf, Andretti Indoor Karting and I-Drive 360 have re-energized competition for corporate events in Orlando, offering fresh selling points to attract convention business.

New Golf Facility at
Four Seasons Orlando

Four Seasons Resort Orlando held an official ribbon cutting for its 16-acre golf practice facility, which includes a double-ended driving range with a 2-acre natural grass tee box, a chipping and pitching area totaling 14,000 square feet, and greenside and fairway practice bunkers. It also includes an additional 13,000-square-foot putting green and TrackMan swing analysis technology.

Report Provides Insight
into Canadian Travel

A new report revealed Canadians are more likely to travel internationally and prioritize travel compared to Americans. Canadians spend an estimated $35 billion on outbound travel annually, but their travel patterns mirror American travelers.

Campaign to Revitalize
Travel Agency Industry

As millennials are using travel agents more, the Travel Leaders Group named 2018 the Year of the Travel Agent. This campaign focuses on revitalizing the travel agency industry, emphasizing the "12 Tenets of Travel Agents."

Ride-Sharing Increases
on Business Trips

Expense management firm Certify released new research showing business travelers are taking fewer taxi rides and renting cars less often. Ride-sharing transportation rose from 56 percent in 2016 to nearly 70 percent last year, with car rentals taking 25 percent and taxis the remainder.

Google Flights Now
Predicts Flight Delays

Using historic flight status data, Google added a new feature that can predict some delays, even when the information hasn't been made available yet by the airlines. Delays are flagged when Google's algorithm is at least 80 percent confident in the prediction.