From our MORlando Challenge to a new national travel show on ABC, here's your weekly look at what's happening across America's most visited destination.
MORlando Team Continues Exploring Every Part of Our Destination
Nearly two months into their challenge to experience all Orlando has to offer, our MORlando team has visited more than 100 attractions, including recent trips to the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, an Orlando City soccer game, The Mall at Millenia and many other locations. Follow our #MORlando adventures on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Orlando Monitoring Developments as Airlines Step Up to Fill Void Left by Thomas Cook
Following last month's dissolution of Thomas Cook, one of the United Kingdom's largest travel companies and airlines, other air carriers are on the verge of increasing capacity to fill the void. Virgin, the UK's largest airline to Orlando, is expected to add capacity from Manchester and Gatwick for peak travel periods in 2020. UK-based TUI Airways (formerly Thomson Airways), which flies out of Sanford and is the world's largest charter airline, recently committed an extra 2 million seats next year to serve several international markets. Although more specific details will come later from both airlines, we are optimistic this will spell good news for our destination, as the UK is our largest overseas market for visitation.
ABC's 'Localish: Out of Office' Features Orlando's Fall Activities
Online viewers of ABC's new national travel show "Localish: Out of Office" were treated to a five- minute segment showcasing Orlando's many fall activities, from festivals and Halloween events to the latest attractions at our theme parks. According to ABC, the show "is all about bringing out the good in America's cities" by spotlighting ways to experience different areas like a local. The effort was part of our marketing strategy to drive demand during the off-peak fall season.
Join Us at Our Annual Meeting & Luncheon Dec. 5
Mark your calendar for Visit Orlando's Annual Meeting & Luncheon Dec. 5 at Hilton Orlando. We will celebrate some of this year's highlights, then dive into "creating moments that matter" with keynote speaker Dan Heath, a New York Times bestselling author, social entrepreneur and one of the world's 50 most influential management thinkers. Learn more and sign up here.
Teaming Up to Promote Our Destination in Canada
Visit Orlando and several of our member companies traveled to our largest international market Oct. 1-3, holding comprehensive training events in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. More than 350 travel advisers learned about our destination's latest developments and resources offered though the Orlando Travel Academy. In addition, the events helped drive visitation through one-on-one interaction with major air carriers and travel companies, including WestJet Vacations, Air Canada Vacations, TravelBrands, Transat Vacations and Sunwing Vacations.
OTHER NEWS FROM VISIT ORLANDO
» Our travel industry sales team recently hosted 50 top-performing agents from the UK for a weeklong destination orientation that highlighted our theme parks, attractions, hotels and shopping venues. Doubling in size, this year's event featured 30 member companies.
» Last month in Sao Paulo, our travel industry sales team partnered with SeaWorld to host a destination training session during the annual Brazilian Travel Agencies Association International Tourism Expo. More than 400 travel professionals attended the three-day event.
» Our meetings and conventions team recently hosted a destination orientation for top associates from ConferenceDirect, a leading global meetings company that booked nearly 300,000 room nights in Orlando last year. Twenty participants engaged in the three-day event, which included site visits to Orlando's diverse range of hotels and venues.
