Hotel bookings up for important holiday stretch but down for Q4.
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TourismMatters®
FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO
Forecasting Demand as We Close Out 2018
Even though we're in the early days of fall, it's never too early to look at anticipated demand for one of the busiest times of year: the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.
The good news is that, from Dec 26 to Jan. 1, hotel bookings are roughly 10 percent ahead of this time last year. On the flip side, we are monitoring some indications that performance may begin to slow a bit before we reach the final week of 2018.
For the fourth quarter, Visit Orlando’s research team projects slight year-over-year declines in hotel demand (-1.4%) and international airline bookings (-2%). However, balanced with our destination’s extremely strong first three quarters, we anticipate that, overall, 2018 will still go down as another record year.
George Aguel
President & CEO
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
Americans Increasingly Turning to Shared Services
The latest Country Financial Security Index reveals that 54 percent of Americans often use some type of streaming, ride-hailing, home sharing or maintenance service. Of this group, more than half (59 percent) are using these services at least once a week and one quarter (25 percent) are using them every day. The majority (72 percent) are spending less than $50 a month on things like Uber rides, Netflix and Airbnb. Read More
VISIT ORLANDO ACTIVITIES
CORPORATE
Aguel Earns Recognition
From BizBash Magazine
Congratulations to Visit Orlando President & CEO George Aguel for being named among the "Top 500 People in Events" by BizBash magazine. "Representing corporate events, associations, trade shows, social events, and more, these people represent the best of the meeting and event industry across North America,” according to BizBash.
CORPORATE
Visit Orlando Board Members Helping New Mayor’s Transition
Visit Orlando board members Harold Mills, vice chairman of Zero Chaos, Tim Giuliani, president of Orlando Economic Partnership, and Jay Leonard, general manager of Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort, will serve as advisers to Orange County Mayor-Elect Jerry Demings during his transition into office. The 37-member transition team consists of leaders in government, business, education and nonprofits.
TRAVEL INDUSTRY
UK’s Top Travel Pros
Visit VIP Super Fam
Visit Orlando, along with its partners, welcomed 50 of the UK's top-selling travel professionals to the 2018 Visit Orlando VIP Super Fam Sept. 24-Oct. 1. The group connected with 14 member companies at the Visit Orlando Marketplace, learning about the destination's hotels, attractions and shopping. The delegates returned to the UK equipped with the best knowledge and experience to sell Orlando to our No.1. international source market.
TRAVEL INDUSTRY
Promoting Orlando at
Tradeshows in Brazil
In September, Visit Orlando participated in a pair of three-day consumer tradeshows in our key market of Brazil. More than 77,000 consumers and travel professionals attended the Flytour MMT Consumer & Trade show in the cities of Santos and Campinas. The event in Campinas saw an 11 percent yearly increase in attendance and a boost in product sales.
Visit Orlando targeted top-tier lifestyle and travel influencer @ThatsoTee (195,000 followers) to showcase Orlando as an ideal destination for couples. Tee experienced the theme parks, unique dining and Insta-worthy attractions, sharing more than a dozen posts and stories on social media. The coverage resulted from a destination orientation led by Visit Orlando’s public relations team to target Canadian millennials ahead of a key booking period.
PUBLICITY
Brazilian Celebrities
Experience Orlando
Visit Orlando partnered with Brazil’s CARAS Magazine to bring 11 celebrities from Globo TV, the XFactor and the Voice Brasil
to Orlando in September to promote the destination's diverse attractions, activities and dining. Their experiences will be showcased on CARAS’s TV show, magazine, blog, website and social media, in addition to each celebrity’s social media platforms.
M&C
26K Return for
Microsoft Ignite
Microsoft Ignite — Microsoft’s largest event for developers and IT professionals — recently wrapped up a sold-out conference at the Orange County Convention Center. More than 26,000 people were in attendance, generating $51 million in economic impact for our destination. The event, which first came to Orlando last year, will return again in November 2019.
Visit Orlando President & CEO George Aguel shares how his heritage and culture helped shape his career. Read More
Disney to Launch Date-Based Ticket Prices
One-day tickets will now be $109 to $129, depending on what day guests visit. Read More
Now Open: SeaWorld’s Infinity Falls
The new ride features roaring rapids, soaking fountains and a record-setting 40-foot waterfall drop. Read More
August TDT Collections Up 7.5% Year Over Year
Orange County took in $18.8 million in taxes on short-term rentals, thanks in part to an increase in average daily rates for hotel rooms. Read More
Orlando: WalletHub’s No. 2 City for Fun
The website compared more than 180 U.S. cities based on 65 key metrics. Read More
VISIT ORLANDO EVENTS
Oct. 24
Power Hour Lunch
Noon to 1 p.m., $30
Do you like research? Are you ever called upon to present trends in Orlando visitation? This Power Hour is for you! Our Market Research & Insights team will discuss domestic trends and forecasts for 2019. Register Here
Herbalife International of America
Estimated Attendance: 2,100
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you participate in "Orlando's Big Thank You?" Travel Weekly recently presented Visit Orlando a 2018 Gold Magellan Award in recognition of the campaign, which included a Guinness World Record for "Most Greeting Cards Collected in 24 Hours."
Connect with Visit Orlando
Official tourism association of the No. 1 destination in the U.S.
