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Jan12_PB-Practice-Field

The NFL has released the official roster of selected players for the 2018 Pro Bowl, and Visit Orlando is excited to welcome some of the league's top players in January.

 

 
Visit Orlando Events
 

webinar

Jan. 17
Power Hour Lunch

Canvas Restaurant & Market
Location: 13615 Sachs Ave.
Orlando FL 32827
Time: Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Cost: Visit Orlando member, $25
The first Power Hour Lunch of 2018 will feature an update on Orlando International Airport from Carolyn Fennell, senior director of public affairs for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.
Click here to register.

webinar

Jan. 25
Member Meet-Up Happy Hour

Paddlefish
Location: Disney Springs
1670 Buena Vista Drive
Orlando, FL 32830
Time: 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Cost: Visit Orlando member, $20
Kick off 2018 with happy hour on the top deck of Paddlefish at Disney Springs. Connect with fellow members over refreshments and enjoy the beautiful sunset view.
Click here to register.

webinar

Feb. 1
Member Orientation

Recommended for both new members and long-time Visit Orlando members to learn:
• How Visit Orlando markets the area as a convention, meetings and visitor destination.
• The benefits of membership.
• How to take advantage of the value-added services available exclusively to members.
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
 

 Orange Lake Golf

Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort is more than a stay -- it's a place to play. Enjoy seven swimming pools, including a lazy river-style pool, waterslides, miniature golf courses, arcades, four golf courses, tennis and an 80-acre lake with plenty of watersports, a fun zone and more. Visit Orlando members save 20 to 25 percent off their stay. Call 866-892-5890 to reserve.

Orlando Convention Photographers is offering Visit Orlando members 25 percent off photography services for business portraits, services, meetings and marketing materials. Offer code: 012317

Oct20_Balmoral_resort_pool

Balmoral Resort Florida is offering stays starting at $99 for Visit Orlando members. Stay at the fabulous new Balmoral vacation home resort at Haines City, just minutes from Legoland. Contemporary homes with private pools and spacious townhomes, just steps from the clubhouse. $99 for townhome, $125 for a pool home. Use code VOM for redemption by calling 866-6-VILLAS or email bookings@feltrimresorts.com. Subject to availability. Some restrictions may apply.

Orlando Watersports Complex is offering half-price riding every Wednesday from 2 p.m. to close. For redemption, mention offer code VOM2M

The Escape Game Orlando is offering 15 percent off giftcards and free shipping for Visit Orlando members. Shop now and use code BESTGIFTEVER.

Do you have an offer you would like to see posted? Submit an offer to Visit Orlando Member Relations here.

 
 
Industry Events
 

Volunteers are needed for the 2018 NFL Pro Bowl at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports. Numerous roles are available at various times, Jan. 23-27. Encourage your colleagues, friends and family to view the volunteer opportunities here and register today.

Florida Hospital for Children and Walt Disney World have teamed up for a good cause. Enter today for a chance to win a dream-come-true night at the Cinderella Castle Suite at Magic Kingdom and two-day Disney Park passes for each guest. Visit this page for details.

Jan. 29
CMAA charity golf event benefiting Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, at Interlachen Country Club. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Roy Schindele at 407-876-8001.

 
 
Community Events
 

Saturdays
Parramore Farmers Market
Orlando City Stadium

Saturdays
Winter Park Farmers Market
Winter Park

Sundays
Orlando Farmers Market
Lake Eola Park

Nature Connects

Through April 22
Nature Connects® Art with LEGO®
Harry P. Leu Gardens

Jan. 13
MLK Parade
Downtown Orlando

Jan. 20
Monster Jam
Camping World Stadium

Jan. 20-28
ZORA! Festival
Eatonville

Jan12_UOR-MardiGras

Feb. 3-Apr. 7
Universal Orlando Mardi Gras
Universal Orlando Resort

Feb. 14-Mar. 11
The Lion King
Dr. Phillips Center

 
 
Connect With Visit Orlando
 

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President & CEO's Message
 

January 11, 2018

Carrying Our Momentum into 2018

George Aguel

Having closed the books on 2017 -- a year in which America's most visited destination continued to grow bigger, stronger and even more popular with visitors -- I'm proud to report that momentum is already building for a fantastic follow-up performance.
 
As you'll read below, advance hotel bookings for the first quarter and first half of 2018 are trending ahead of this time last year. On the conventions side, Orlando kicked off the new year by welcoming an estimated 85,000-plus attendees at Design and Construction Week, roughly a 4 percent gain from 2017. And for leisure travelers, our destination continues to be recognized as one of the most budget-friendly places for a vacation.
 
Another development that holds promise in 2018: Brazil is moving toward an Open Skies agreement with the United States, which would remove limits on the number of flights between the two countries. This could spell great news for Orlando's third-largest international market, a country whose visitors account for some of our highest levels of per-capita spending.
 
Visit Orlando is proud to play a leading role promoting our destination on a global scale -- and with so many new reasons for visitors to keep returning, again and again, we have our sights set on another successful year!

-George Aguel

 
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From the Research & Insights Desk of Visit Orlando
 
Advance Bookings Start 2018 on Positive Trend

In the Orlando market, advance hotel bookings for the first quarter of 2018 are 2.6 percent ahead of this time last year, according to the latest report from TravelClick. Due to the timing of Easter, which falls two weeks earlier than in 2017, advance bookings for the second quarter are down slightly (-0.5 percent). The timing shift is likely to pull some of the spring break demand from April into March, thereby impacting the year-over-year comparisons for those months. Collectively, advance bookings for the first half of 2018 are 2 percent higher than this time last year.

 
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Visit Orlando Updates
 

Jan12_DCW2

85K Attend Design
and Construction Week 

The National Association of Home Builders and National Kitchen & Bath Association once again co-located in Orlando for Design and Construction Week. One of our biggest shows of the year, attendance is expected to surpass 85,000 attendees. The two associations started co-locating their shows in 2015; Orlando's next show for Design and Construction Week will be in 2021.

Jan12_Leonard

Leonard Named Lodging
Member of Year

Congratulations to Visit Orlando board member Jay Leonard, general manager of the Wyndham and Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort Area, for being named the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association's (CFHLA) 2017 Lodging Member of the Year. The award was presented Dec. 16 at CFHLA's annual Hospitality Gala at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.

UK

Highlighting Orlando
for Adults in the UK

The public relations team generated coverage in the UK's Daily Star (6.8 million print/online impressions) about downtown Orlando and Universal Orlando Resort during a prime booking period. "For those traveling without kids," the Star reports, "combining time at the parks with the scenery, food and nightlife of 'real' Orlando could be the perfect break."

AMEX

American Express
InterAction at OCCC

Last month, Visit Orlando and our hotel partners attended the American Express InterAction meeting at the Orange County Convention Center. With approximately 600 planners from North America, Latin America and Europe in attendance, the annual meeting provided strategic networking through a tradeshow and one-on one appointment with suppliers.

Jan12_SpringCampaign

Campaign to Showcase
Orlando's Uniqueness

Visit Orlando's nationwide "Uniquely Orlando" campaign will launch on Jan. 15. The campaign will highlight the elements that make Orlando such a unique destination, focusing its efforts on the Northeast markets via TV, outdoor, digital, social media and search engine marketing initiatives.

 

AP

Associated Press
Reports on What's New

Visit Orlando's public relations team secured coverage by the Associated Press on a roundup of what's new in 2018. "New museums, destinations and openings around the U.S. in 2018" (more than 830,000 impressions) was also picked up online by MSN, ABC News and Newsday, among others.

Brian Comes

Comes Named Area
Vice President at Hyatt

Congratulations to Visit Orlando board member Brian Comes, who was recently appointed area vice president of Hyatt Regency Orlando. Comes had been serving as the hotel's general manager since 2013.

Jan12_Weather-Channel

Marketing Orlando
to Canadians

Working with Canada's Weather Network, Visit Orlando's marketing team is helping create video segments that highlight what's new and unique in our destination. As one might expect, Canadians are heavily focused on weather conditions this time of year - and the channel's on-site coverage will create a nice contrast to the frigid temperatures north of the border. The segments will run nationwide to 11 million viewers and are expected to provide approximately 60 minutes of coverage.

Jan12_four_seasons_pool

Scottish Paper Explores
Wealth of Experiences

The public relations team generated coverage in The Scottish Sun (540,838 print/online impressions) as a result of a destination orientation themed "Orlando for adults." The article highlights downtown neighborhoods and the theme parks, saying, "There's a wealth of experiences and they are all magical."

Todays Parent

Parenting Magazine
Spotlights Orlando

The public relations team generated coverage in Canada's top family magazine, Today's Parent online, during a key booking period. The article spotlights what's new in Orlando, focusing on the theme parks and I-Drive 360. It was also shared on the magazine's influential Twitter platform (2.5 million followers).

 
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News About Orlando
 

OCCC

At the Center

Group Meeting Start End Estimated Attendees Estimated Economic Impact
FCA US LLC FCA Business Link Program Jan. 18 Jan. 19 500 $985,000
Reed Exhibition Companies, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. PGA Merchandise Show 2018 Jan. 24 Jan. 26 43,000 $84,710,000
LRP Publications FETC 2018 Jan. 24 Jan. 26 10,000 $19,700,000
Emerald Expositions, LLC Surf Expo Jan. 25 Jan. 27 27,026 $53,241,220
 

Expedia Year in Review:
Top Destinations

According to Expedia.com's review of data from Jan. 1 to Nov. 15, the most booked domestic destinations were Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Los Angeles and New York. The most searched domestic destination was Orlando.

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Magic Kingdom Makes
Top 10 on Instagram

A list of the top 10 pictured locations on Instagram in 2017 features four theme parks. Disneyland in California came in first overall. The others are Tokyo Disney (fourth), Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando (sixth) and Disney's California Adventure Park (ninth).

Read More

 

Orlando No. 3 for
Budget-Friendly Trips

Travel site Kayak has put together a list of the 10 most wallet-friendly destinations for 2018, looking at the 100 most-searched vacation spots and identifying those with the lowest overall median trip cost. Orlando came in at No. 3.

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Job Growth in
Florida Tops Nation

Florida's job growth continues to outpace the nation, and the majority of the economic boom comes from tourism. Since 2010, Florida businesses have added 1.5 million jobs; the state's unemployment rate is also at a 10-year low.

Read More

 
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Industry News
 

Hoteliers End Year with
Rates and Bookings Up

TravelClick, a leading global provider of data and revenue-generating solutions for hoteliers, announced new data showing all travel segments saw growth in the fourth quarter. Daily rates were up 1.2 percent, booking increased 4.3 percent and revenue per available room rose 5.6 percent.

Read More

IMEX Releases 2018
Industry Trends

Global event producer IMEX unveiled five industry trends for 2018, including a return to focus on humanity. Security, impact of the sharing economy, women in the industry, and anxiety are also among the trends.

Read More

Hyatt Implements New
Cancellation Policy

Hyatt will now require more advance notice from guests in order to avoid being charged a fee -- 48 hours rather than the previous 24 hours. This new policy follows a similar change enacted by the Marriott and Starwood brands.

Read More

 

Airbnb Visitors
to Florida Up 75%

Airbnb released data showing 2.7 million users visited Florida in 2017, a 75 percent increase over 2016. For the 40,000 Airbnb hosts in Florida, that came out to a combined $450 million earned over the year.

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Brazil Moves Toward
Open Skies Deal with U.S.

The lower house of Brazil's Congress recently approved an Open Skies agreement between Brazil and the United States that clears the way for a partnership between American Airlines and LATAM Airlines. The agreement removes limits on the number of flights between the two countries.

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U.S. Travel Association
Launches New Coalition

The Visit U.S. Coalition will be composed of organizations representing mostly non-travel industries, and will focus on showing the current administration the widespread benefits of allowing travel. The new group will be appreciative of security concerns, but it will emphasize solutions that minimize the impact on tourism.

Read More

 
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Tourism Ambassadors
 
Academy Sports ARDA Bags Balmoral Resort BB&T
Best Buy British Airways Clear Channel Outdoor Darden Florida Distributing Company
Florida Hospital The Florida Mall IOA The Mall at Millenia Orlando Economic Partnership
Orlando Health Orlando International Airport Orlando Magic Orlando Premium Outlets OUC
Orlando Sanford Airport Smart City Tupperware Brands
 
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