Visit Orlando, in partnership with New Orleans & Company, Southwest Airlines, and Walt Disney World Resort, hosted 23 aspiring female chefs from New Orleans for a once in a lifetime culinary experience.

Inspired by the theme of the real-life story of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the newest attraction at Magic Kingdom Park this summer, the collaboration sought to inspire future hospitality professionals and promote travel between Orlando and New Orleans.

The participants were treated to a four-day trip in July to get a taste of success, encouraging them to pursue their culinary dreams and follow Princess Tiana’s journey as a beloved chef and restauranteur. The young women engaged in educational opportunities with Disney chefs and professionals, including a behind-the-scenes experience at Victoria & Albert’s, one of the top fine-dining Orlando restaurants with a one-star Michelin rating.

I am incredibly proud of how our organizations came together to promote new reasons to travel between Orlando and New Orleans in a meaningful way, highlighted the rich culinary traditions of both cities and provided these aspiring chefs with valuable insights and experiences of careers in the culinary and hospitality industry. Through programs such as this, we are cultivating future hospitality professionals who could one day impact our industry.

For more details, read the full press release.

Data & Trends

Metro Orlando’s hotel occupancy rate for the week ending July 27, 2024, was 71%, down 1.4% from the same week last year. The average daily rate for the week was $169.06, which was down 1.9% from last year. Room night demand trailed prior year by 0.7%.

Across the Industry

APEX Award for Distinguished Service: This week, Visit Orlando received Black Meetings & Tourism’s APEX Award for Distinguished Service. Visit Orlando’s National Accounts Director Collette Johnson accepted the award on behalf of the organization. Black Meetings & Tourism is a bimonthly trade publication for the African American group and leisure travel, incentives and meetings market. The APEX Award for Distinguished Service honors individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to travel and tourism. Thank you to the Black Meetings & Tourism team for this wonderful honor!  
 
Visit Orlando Named a Top DMO by Meeting Professionals: Smart Meetings has named Visit Orlando a 2024 Smart Star after meeting professionals voted us one of the best destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in the CVB/DMO category. Every year, editors at Smart Meetings ask meeting professionals to name the best of the best in 31 categories, including DMOs, airlines, hotels, conference centers and more. 
 
Orlando's 2024 Most Influential Leaders: The Orlando Business Journal unveiled its 2024 list of Orlando’s Most Influential Leaders. Congratulations to all the Central Florida executives recognized for advancing our business community. Among the honorees are Visit Orlando board member Chris Mueller and several prominent leaders, including Harris Rosen, Jason Siegel, Maria Triscari and Joshua Wallack. Discover more about this honor.

Around the Destination

Highlighting Benefits of Tourism: This week, Visit Orlando met with Rep. Anna V. Eskamani from the Florida House of Representatives to discuss opportunities to work together to serve our community. We also updated Representative Eskamani on recent Visit Orlando initiatives, as well as trends in the travel industry.

GO Sports Recognizes Visit Orlando: The Greater Orlando Sports Commission recognized Visit Orlando for our partnership in supporting sports initiatives in our destination over the past year, including the U.S. Olympic Team Trials held in Orlando. Visit Orlando is proud to work alongside the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, along with many others throughout the community to drive economic impact to Orange County through sports.

Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining® in the News: Since announcing the return of Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining® presented by Orlando Health, our team has generated more than 80 media stories locally, throughout the state and beyond! From the Orlando Sentinel to local food blog Tasty Chomps and Tampa Bay Date Night Guide, positive stories continue to pour in. We’ve also had great international coverage, as seen in publications Diário de Turismo and Turistampa. 
 
Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining® presented by Orlando Health runs from Aug. 16 to Sept. 30, with a record-breaking 151 restaurants. Throughout the six-week run, restaurants will offer three-course, prix-fixe menus for $40 or $60. This year’s charity beneficiary is The Mustard Seed of Central Florida, focused on helping residents and families recover from hardships while minimizing environmental impact. Go to OrlandoMagicalDining.com to browse menus and make reservations.

Visit Orlando's Signature Event: Register now for Visit Orlando’s Insights Luncheon & Economic Forum taking place on Friday, August 23, at Hilton Orlando. The Economic Forum features Chairman & CEO of Sage Policy Group Anirban Basu with Visit Orlando’s Senior Director of Market Insights & Research, Maria Henson. During the luncheon, attendees will be treated to an inspiring message from a dynamic keynote speaker, Kevin Brown, the best-selling author of The Hero Effect®. Learn more. As a reminder, corporate tables are available for purchase. They include up-front seating for eight, your logo on event materials, complimentary admission to the Economic Forum for your attendees and more. Contact Kelly Kinney for details.

Visit Orlando Engaged!

Travel Industry Sales Team Immersion: This week, we welcomed AviaReps, who serve as an extension of Visit Orlando’s travel industry sales team in nine key international markets (Canada, UK, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Germany, Spain, Nordics and India) for an education and immersion event. The focus was on ensuring the representatives were up-to-date with the latest developments in Orlando emphasizing areas beyond the theme parks and accommodations. The team members then apply their enhanced knowledge of the destination to educational training for in-market travel advisors and partnership opportunities with the travel trade. 
 
Positive Impact of Soccer in Orlando: On Monday, July 20, Florida Citrus Sports held its Talk Luncheon exploring the dynamic business of soccer at the Camping World Stadium Plaza Lounge. Danielle Hollander, Visit Orlando’s chief marketing officer, joined in on the discussion with representatives from the FC Series, Florida Citrus Sports, Manchester City Football Club and the Orlando 1994 World Cup Bid. Danielle shared what makes Orlando so appealing to soccer fans and provided insights on Visit Orlando’s work to create meaningful, strategic partnerships and effective storytelling to drive visitation

Volunteer Event at Second Harvest: Visit Orlando’s membership committee teamed up with Visit Orlando staff to volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, a private, nonprofit organization that collects, stores and distributes donated food to more than 750 feeding partners in seven Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia. This effort was part of their annual commitment to serve the industry and community.

In the News

WFTV: JetBlue to add two new Orlando flights to New England

Travel + Leisure: How to visit Orlando on a budget — theme parks included

Tampa Bay Times: Visiting Orlando? Here are 7 hidden gems to explore (and where to stay)

CNN Travel: ‘I don’t have a budget’: Why people are going into debt to travel

The Points Guy: Spirit ditches bare-bones fares, turns Big Front Seat into 'business class' in major transformation