Your Visit Orlando team recently attended ANATO—a leading industry trade show hosted by the Colombian Association for Travel Agencies and Tourism.

Premier trade shows like ANATO are ideal platforms to educate travel advisors, connect with key industry players, and showcase Orlando to both familiar and untapped markets, while also driving visitation and reaching influential clients and media outlets.

Across three days, we engaged with more than 150 industry professionals, including airline partners and 35 media, promoting all that Orlando has to offer.

The team conducted interviews with top Colombian media outlets, including Forbes, El Espectador, Infobae, Fuscia, Publimetro, and Ladevi, among others. Visit Orlando’s public relations team also secured media coverage in leading publications, such as Infobae and Ladevi.

In addition to the ANATO event, Visit Orlando, in partnership with Universal Orlando Resort, VISIT FLORIDA, and Experience Kissimmee, hosted a client and media event where we highlighted unique branded spaces for each destination that allowed for more opportunities to connect and showcase Orlando to these key audiences.

Visit Orlando in the 2025 Agents’ Choice Readership Survey

Visit Orlando has been nominated for Canadian Travel Press' 2025 Agents' Choice Readership Survey in the Best Tourism Board North America category. This annual, national survey is a trusted resource for Canadian travel advisors. This year, Canadian Travel Press is recognizing companies that have inspired their agency partners and customers. The results, based on votes from travel advisors, highlight the top favorites in each category. The survey results will be announced at the Agents’ Choice Awards Presentation and Gala on June 19, 2025, at The Carlu in Toronto.

Data & Trends

Metro Orlando’s hotel occupancy rate for the week ending Feb. 22, 2025, was 81.8% up 0.6% from the same week last year. The average daily rate for the week was $238.67, up 4.3% from last year. Room night demand surpassed the prior year by 1.1%.

The combination of the Valentine’s holiday weekend running into the President’s Day Monday helped boost Sunday’s daily occupancy rate to 84.8% (+5.3%), which was just shy of the Friday-Saturday weekend occupancy of 86.1%. Although Orlando’s weekly occupancy rate was just above last year, it performed better than the national and Florida averages, which were both in the negative.

Across the Industry

U.S. Travel Association Announces 2025 Executive Board and Committees

This week, the U.S. Travel Association announced its Executive Board and Committees. I was elected to serve as vice chair on the board for the 2025-2027 term. U.S. Travel represents the $2.8 trillion travel industry—working to increase travel to and within the U.S. Additionally, U.S. Travel represents the collective interests of more than 980 industry organizations, including a diverse variety of travel companies and businesses both large and small, and destinations across the U.S.

I’m honored to join esteemed leaders from across every sector of the travel industry as we collaborate to drive the growth and advancement of the industry over the next two years. This cohort of powerhouse travel leaders will help guide the association's strategy and ensure the success of U.S. Travel's mission to advance the industry. Congratulations to all those elected!

AMC Institute's Annual Meeting

Last week, the AMC Institute (AMCI) hosted its Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, bringing together key players in the association management industry. AMCI is dedicated to advancing professionalism and setting high industry standards for association management companies. The Annual Meeting serves as AMCI’s flagship in-person event, providing a valuable opportunity for members, partners, and industry leaders to connect, collaborate, and exchange ideas.

This year’s event was an important gathering for strengthening relationships, sharing insights, and discussing the future of the association management field. One of the topics covered was how upcoming policy decisions and funding changes will affect meetings and conventions.

Additionally, attendees learned about the importance of leveraging AI to boost efficiency and innovation. Whether it's streamlining operations, analyzing data, or personalizing member engagement, organizations that embrace AI tools can stay ahead. The key is using AI to complement human expertise, enhancing team effectiveness while maintaining the personal touch that fosters strong relationships.

Visit Orlando Engaged!

Ragan’s AI Horizons Conference

Adeta Gayah, Visit Orlando’s senior director of social media and content, attended Ragan’s AI Horizons Conference from Feb. 24-26 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. The event focused on giving attendees insights on the skills needed to harness the full potential of co-intelligence (artificial intelligence and human intelligence).

Adeta led the panel Beyond AI Video Hype: Real AI Hacks to Supercharge Your Social Media sharing how AI can be used as a resource to help with social media and content efforts. This included how Visit Orlando is using AI that is built into social media management tools, how we leverage AI to help brainstorm campaign ideas, and the science of prompt engineering. For instance, a good prompt is essential to a great AI output. To achieve favorable results, consider applying the RACE method:

• Role: The persona or stance you want the AI to take on.
• Action: The action the AI needs to take
• Context: Any crucial information the AI needs to know.
• Expectation: The outcome you want to achieve.

Additionally, as part of Visit Orlando’s AI taskforce, Adeta also shared ethical guidelines on using AI and how Visit Orlando has created an AI policy to help empower employees to use AI while also setting boundaries.

Showcasing the Destination to Colombian Media

Visit Orlando’s public relations team recently hosted a group of Colombian journalists for a press trip, highlighting local attractions, hotel accommodations, and dining experiences across the region. The itinerary included visits to Walt Disney World Resort, outdoor adventures at Wild Florida Airboats and Gatorland, learning local history at the Orange County Regional Historic Center, and more. The media group represented publications El Pais (723K), El Colombiano (270K) El Heraldo (177K), Publimetro (140K) and Red Más Noticias (122.5K). Press trips give journalists the chance to experience the destination firsthand to then share authentic insights with their audiences.

Connecting with Clients in Philadelphia

A delegation of 17 Visit Orlando members recently participated in a strategic sales mission in Philadelphia to engage key clients in the meetings and conventions sector. Our team arranged exclusive experiences, including hosting 22 prominent meeting planners at a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game and 37 clients at a Neiman Marcus fashion show focused on meeting and convention travel.

Represented organizations included Lincoln Financial, Maritz Global Events, and Association Headquarters. Sales missions like this are essential for Visit Orlando and its members, offering a platform to share updates about our destination and build connections that drive future business to Orlando. The goal of these events is to network with both new and existing clients, while providing an opportunity to showcase Orlando's latest developments.

In the News

Forbes: How Universal Orlando’s newest theme park may impact Walt Disney World

Family Vacationist: Review: Evermore Orlando Resort offers upscale family vacations close to the theme parks

Up & Away Magazine: Full swing: where to stay and play golf in Orlando

Travel Noire: 10 things To do in Orlando with kids

TSNN: What's new in Orlando for meetings & conventions: Q1 2025 preview with Orlando event leaders  
 
Afar: Six ways to experience Florida without the crowds